FDA May End Pfizer COVID Vaccine for Young Children
The Pfizer COVID vaccine for young children may soon be pulled from the U.S. market, with the FDA signaling it may not renew the shot’s emergency use authorization for the 2025 respiratory season. For many parents and medical freedom advocates, this is a welcome step after years of controversy over whether children should ever have been given the shot at all.
Pfizer’s vaccine is currently authorized for children between six months and four years old—the only COVID shot available for all kids under five. Moderna’s pediatric version remains approved only for children with certain health conditions, and Novavax’s option is limited to children aged 12 and up with health conditions. If Pfizer’s authorization ends, Moderna is expected to try to fill the supply gap, though its reach will remain restricted.
The news comes from an email obtained by The Guardian, sent Friday by the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) to state and local vaccine program managers. Pfizer confirmed the FDA’s signal and noted that its vaccine for children ages five to 11 is expected to be fully licensed this fall.
Critics have long questioned the wisdom of mass vaccinating children against COVID, given that they face extremely low risks of severe illness or death from the virus. According to CDC data, only 5.6% of children aged six months to four years have received the shot, reflecting widespread hesitancy among parents. Even among older children ages five to 17, only about 15% are vaccinated.
While the CDC is already in talks with Moderna about ramping up supply, many see this as a chance to re-evaluate the entire push for pediatric COVID vaccination. Concerns over side effects, including myocarditis, have fueled skepticism—especially as children have maintained similar COVID hospitalization rates since 2020 despite vaccination campaigns.
For those who believe the risks of the shot outweigh the benefits for kids, the FDA’s move could mark a turning point. As COVID cases rise in some areas, the debate over how—and whether—to vaccinate children is far from over.
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