The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may not renew its authorization for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine approved for children under the age of 5 ahead of the peak season, according to multiple outlets.
Pfizer's vaccine is the only shot approved for all children — Moderna's vaccine is approved for children with certain health conditions and Novavax's shot is approved for children ages 12 and older.
The Guardian reported Tuesday that it had obtained an email from national health agencies sent earlier this month that specified the FDA would not renew the emergency use authorization for Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine.
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Pfizer reportedly confirmed this information to CNBC.
The email obtained by The Guardian also said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was in talks with Moderna about increasing its supply of the COVID vaccine for young children.
These would be the latest changes in recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine by the Trump administration.
Back in May, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the CDC removed COVID-19 vaccinations from the list of recommended vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.
A few days later, the agency changed its recommendations again.
The latest language published by the CDC says people in those groups no longer "should" but instead now "may" receive COVID-19 vaccinations. Children and pregnant women may receive the shot in consultation with the clinical opinion of a doctor.
The following month, Kennedy "retired" a 17-member vaccine policy advisory panel and replaced the members with his own picks, including a COVID vaccine critic.
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Last week, HHS announced it would be ending funding for vaccine development projects that used mRNA technology — the method credited for creating the COVID-19 vaccine.
Doctors and public health experts have said the move will hinder groundbreaking research toward things like a universal cancer vaccine and will ultimately put lives at risk.
