Moderna COVID-19 shots now an option for older kids in US

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months through 5 years old is seen, Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at Montefiore Medical Group in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

NEW YORK – There is now a second COVID-19 option for kids ages 6 to 17 in the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday announced it is recommending Moderna shots as an option for school-age kids and teens. This group has been able to get shots made by Pfizer since last year.

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CDC sets the federal government’s vaccine guidance for U.S. doctors and their patients.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the shots — full-strength doses for children ages 12 to 17 and half-strength for those 6 to 11. The doses are to be given about a month apart. An expert advisory panel this week voted unanimously to recommend that CDC endorse the Moderna shots, too.

Moderna officials have said they expect to later offer a booster to all kids ages 6 to 17.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.