FDA Slows Down Push for Shots to Young Kids

Friday saw two notable developments on the vaccine front:

• Young kids: The FDA is putting the brakes on its rush to approve Pfizer shots for children 5 and younger, reports the Wall Street Journal. At this point, it looks like April at the earliest. On Friday, the agency reversed course and said it now wants to wait for data on offering three shots instead of just the first two.
• Boosters: A new CDC study suggests that the potency of booster shots declines noticeably after four months, reports the Washington Post. The effectiveness of a third dose in preventing hospitalizations slipped from 91% in the first two months after the shot to 78% after four months. The booster's ability to prevent trips to the ER or an urgent-care facility fell from 87% to 66% in the same span.

• Now what? As to what the study might mean in regard to guidance for a potential fourth shot, stay tuned. The data is new, and more is coming in, though this particular study "represents the first real-world data in the United States of what is known as the durability of that protection during delta and omicron," per the Post.

(More COVID booster shots stories.)