Opinion: The FDA owes parents an explanation about why it delayed authorizing Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for young kids
Until mid-June, 1 in 13 persons living in the United States — that’s all children age 5 and younger — weren’t eligible to get Covid-19 vaccines. On June 17, the Food and Drug Administration finally authorized the use of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, based largely on advice from a panel of outside experts. By my accounting, it could have — and should have — made it possible for young children to be vaccinated much sooner.
I closely followed the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting on June 15, as I’ve followed earlier meetings. This one felt like the others until it reached the open public hearing session, in which preregistered callers are allotted three minutes to share their thoughts with members of the advisory committee. That was the first time I can recall hearing a sitting U.S. congressman, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), threaten “civil and criminal liability to vaccine providers and accessories” for any adverse events resulting from Covid-19 vaccination. It was startling to bear witness to such a blatant act of intimidation, especially coming from someone in his position.
