It’s not certain what the future holds for the Covid-19 vaccine for young children. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the process of determining whether to renew its approval. After three long years, the Covid-19 pandemic officially ended in May of 2023. This coincided with the expiration of the federal public health emergency. Currently, the vaccine is only available for children under six months. It is focused on individuals with at least one underlying health condition that would put them at higher risk for severe illness from the virus.
Yet even with those vaccines available, just 5.6% of children in this age group have received a Covid-19 vaccination. Just 15% of children 5 to 17 are fully vaccinated. Such low numbers increasingly alarm public health officials. They are afraid for their children to be put at continued risk for hospitalization as children are still being hospitalized at rates comparable to early 2020 and 2021.
Andrew Nixon, the communications director for the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS), emphasized the end of the pandemic’s public health emergency. He stated, “The Covid-19 pandemic ended with the expiration of the federal public health emergency in May 2023. We do not comment on potential, future regulatory changes. Unless officially announced by HHS, discussion about future agency action should be regarded as pure speculation.”
George Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, articulated his concerns. Among his many worries, he cites the poor promotion of immunization for our children. He noted the lack of focus on vaccinating children. Mr. Biden went further to condemn the actions of Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for pushing unscientific misinformation on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, including Covid vaccines for pregnant women and children. It has obfuscated the waters of what the public understands about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
Back in July, the FDA approved the last remaining Covid vaccine – Moderna’s – for use in young children. If the FDA moves forward with a non-renewal of this approval, it will take off the only Covid vaccine available to kids under five. Chris Ridley, a spokesperson for Moderna, suggested that the company is taking steps to avert this scenario. “We are working to ensure there will be sufficient supply,” he stated.
To that end, Benjamin specifically called out the fact that people are still underutilizing the new vaccines. This is mostly because of misinformation and lack of awareness. He remarked, “We already have a low number of people using the vaccines to start with.” In addition, he warned of unknown long-term effects of Covid-19 on children who become infected. We don’t know what the chronic effects of having Covid will be for children, as a long-term condition. That it does induce a severe, multi-systemic inflammatory process in a large number of children is not in doubt. There’s a lot we don’t know about the long-term effects of long Covid in children.
Benjamin also warned that pulling access to this vaccine would leave enormous holes in public health’s prevention efforts. “From a public health standpoint, it certainly would leave a hole in the availability of vaccines,” he continued. What’s most frustrating, he said, is the lack of clarity on when a possible decision would come. He continued, “To do it this late in the season – I think clearly it’s inappropriate consideration.”
Public health officials are calling for increased outreach and education efforts to improve Covid-19 vaccination rates among children. Now, they’re working to decide the future of these vaccinations and how to more effectively reach younger populations.
