Pfizer says 3 COVID shots protect children under 5

Pfizer says 3 COVID shots protect children under 5

FILE - Ilana Diener holds her son, Hudson, 3, during an appointment for a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial in Commack, N.Y. on Nov. 30, 2021. Parents hoping to get their youngest children vaccinated against COVID-19 have some encouraging news. Pfizer said Monday, May 23, 2022, that three doses of its vaccines offers strong protection to those under 5. That news comes a month after Moderna said it would ask regulators to OK its two shot regimen for the youngest kids. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin, File)

(AP)-  Pfizer says three small doses of its COVID-19 vaccine protect kids under 5. The company released preliminary results on Monday and said it plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week. It’s the latest step toward letting the littlest kids get the shots. The 18 million tots under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. The Food and Drug Administration has begun evaluating data from rival Moderna. That company hopes to offer two kid-sized shots by summer. The FDA has set tentative dates next month for its scientific advisers to publicly debate data from Pfizer and Moderna.

Photo: FILE – Ilana Diener holds her son, Hudson, 3, during an appointment for a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial in Commack, N.Y. on Nov. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Emma H. Tobin, File)