Though health experts expected Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of five to be approved by the end of this month, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday that they will wait for data on how effective a three-dose vaccine will be in that age group.

According to The New York Times, the pharmaceutical company requested to delay its vaccine as it was found that two doses did not provide enough immunity. Both Pfizer and the FDA subsequently decided to stand by before authorizing anything. They will wait for the results of a third dose, anticipated to be made available this April, so children under five will have to wait until then to get vaccinated.

Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci expressed confidence in January that Pfizer's children's vaccine will get authorized this month. “My hope is that it’s going to be within the next month or so and not much later than that,” he said. “But I can’t guarantee that.”

Following several reports of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices discussed the possible implications of both Pfizer and Moderna’s shots. It was found that Moderna’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine is associated with a higher risk of heart inflammation than Pfizer’s.

In a statement released on Dec. 16, 2021, the CDC emphasized its “clinical preference for individuals to receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine [Pfizer or Moderna] over Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.”

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