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Moderna and Pfizer look to lower age requirement on COVID booster shot

Kids as young as five will be eligible if the request is approved
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(KERO) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's authorization for updated covid boosters could be expanded to younger age groups as soon as the first week of October according to a source close to planning discussions.

Moderna and Pfizer have both sought FDA Emergency Use Authorization for their updated boosters for younger people.

Moderna is seeking authorization for kids as young as six years old while Pfizer for kids ages five through 11.

The FDA has to authorize the updated vaccines for those age groups and then the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has to recommend them.

The boosters target the original coronavirus strain as well as the omicron BA four and five sub-variants, just like the boosters that became available for older people earlier this year in September.