EU Commission approves corona vaccine for babies and against variants

The EU Commission has approved the first corona vaccines for babies and a preparation adapted to omicron variants. The preparations from the manufacturers Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna may in future be administered to babies from the age of six months, as the commission decided on Thursday.

In doing so, she followed a recommendation from the EU medicines agency EMA. Both vaccines are already approved for adults and children from the age of five and six respectively. The doses for babies and young children are significantly lower.

Whether babies and toddlers will actually be offered a corona vaccination in the future is now a decision of the respective EU countries. According to the EMA experts, studies had shown that even babies and young children were protected from infection at a very low dose.

At the same time, the EU Commission approved a Moderna vaccine adapted to two Omicron variants on Thursday. According to the EMA, the preparation is effective against the original coronavirus and the two subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. The EMA experts recommend the adapted vaccine as a protection booster for people aged 12 and over.

It is the second adapted Spikevax vaccine to be approved. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides wrote on Twitter: "As the number of cases rises again in Europe, it is important that everyone increases their protection with vaccination and boosters this winter."

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