CDC Adds COVID-19 Vaccine to List of Routine Immunizations
Children aged six months and up are now recommended for a Moderna or Pfizer shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is updating the list of vaccinations it recommends all children and adults receive to include the shot for COVID-19, as reported by CNN.
At this time, the recommendation is simply being added the complete list of immunizations that doctors suggest against common infectious diseases; it does not mean the COVID-19 vaccine is being added to any lists of mandatory vaccinations for childhood or school enrollment—those decisions are left up to the states.
For 2023, the list also includes shots for the flu, measles, mumps and rubella, and polio, among other immunizations. The recommendation list acts as a schedule, helping doctors determine when the best time to administer each inoculation is.
According to the publication, healthy children between six months and 11 years old should receive two doses of the original Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, followed by a third, booster dose of a bivalent vaccine (the updated vaccination which includes an additional component of protection against Omicron variants).
Children 12 and older should get two doses of Moderna, Pfizer, or Novavax, followed by a bivalent booster.
The recommendation first came by a CDC advisory panel back in October, where members reportedly noted that it makes sense to recommend children get vaccinated since the coronavirus isn't going anywhere.
As for adults, according to the CDC, about 85 percent of those in the United States have received their initial doses, but only about a third have received a booster.
