Pfizer COVID shot effective for children under 5, FDA review finds

• FDA scientists also found Moderna to be safe and effective for young children and infants, and the independent experts will consider a request for it to be used in children younger than 6.
• Young children remain the only people in the U.S. ineligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine.

What they found: Preliminary data shows the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 75.6% percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 for babies and toddlers in 6-23 months age group, 82.4% effective in 2- to 4-year-old children and 80.4% effective in a combined analysis of both groups, according to the briefing document.

What they're saying: "Available data support the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine 3-dose primary series ... in preventing COVID-19 in the age group of 6 months through 4 years," the FDA scientists say in their analysis, noting that it's too soon to reach "definitive conclusions."

The bottom line: The "available safety data from a total database of over 3,000 vaccine recipients do not suggest any new safety concerns compared with the safety profile described in older age groups," according to the briefing document.