COVID-19 vaccines could be available for kids as young as 6 months old starting this fall

• Pfizer and Moderna said they could have COVID-19 vaccines for kids as young as 6 months by the fall.
• Pfizer told The New York Times it would start testing its vaccine in infants in the next few weeks.

COVID-19 vaccines could be available for children as young as 6 months in the US by the fall, Pfizer and Moderna told The New York Times on Tuesday.

Pfizer announced on Tuesday that it was testing its COVID-19 vaccine in 5- to 12-year-olds. The drugmaker told The Times that it would likely start testing the shot in kids as young as 6 months in the next few weeks.

Pfizer said it hoped to be able to apply for emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration by the fall to administer its vaccine to young children.

Moderna told The Times and Insider that it could get similar FDA authorization by early fall.

"Moderna expects that the data will be available for the pediatric population age group in the fall," a spokesperson told Insider.

Pfizer outlined its plan for vaccine development in 2021 during an earnings presentation on May 4. The pharmaceutical giant said it expected to submit its vaccine for use in children ages 2 to 11 by September and the dose for toddlers 6 months to 2 years old by November.

Pfizer is also testing a booster shot to protect against coronavirus variants. CEO Albert Bourla has said people might start getting booster doses in December.

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel has said people at a higher risk for severe COVID-19, including healthcare workers and older Americans, could start getting booster shots by September.

Pfizer was not immediately available for comment.