Covid vaccine for 7-month old?
Our pediatrician's office just told us that they weren't giving infant vaccines anymore because the FDA didn't reapprove them. Does anyone know if its still possible for infants to get them, and if so, how? I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what the situation is -- it looks like the Moderna vaccine was approved, but not the Pfizer? Any information/advice would be helpful! Thanks in advance.
Aug 28, 2025
Parent Replies
The situation is really confusing. Last I heard, Kaiser will give it to our baby at her 9 month appointment. I messaged the doctor and they said they expected to have them in mid-September, but I got that message before the FDA announcement.
Our pediatrician at Berkeley Peds still is recommending the vaccine for our children, but they are a toddler/school age.
Moderna is the only one approved for use down to 6 months. Pfizer had the EUA previously but this has been rescinded. This CNN article is pretty helpful in explaining what is happening this year. TLDR; the FDA approved them but only for patients 65+ or 6m-64y considered high risk. CDC did not recommend them however the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) broke with the CDC for the first time and they are recommending them even for healthy children. You would have to get it in consult with your child’s pediatrician and they would have to give it off label, TBD on whether insurance would cover it. I am certainly going to try for my 9 month old! You might have to call around different pediatricians if yours isn’t going to carry it or won’t give it off label?
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/27/health/covid-vaccines-fda
The FDA updated their approval for the Pfizer vaccine to limit it to 5yo+, but the Moderna vaccine is approved for 6mo+. There is some question around availability, as the recommendation from the CDC is only for 65+ and those with a documented serious medical condition. Pharmacies are unlikely to be able to administer vaccines reliably, but from what I am reading, your doctor's office should have access and can administer vaccines "off-label" meaning based on their own recommendation. Insurance coverage of the vaccine is not necessarily guaranteed given the CDC recommendations. This is all sort of unknown at the moment, as the decision was just made last Wednesday and things have yet to play out. The American Pediatric Association still recommends the vaccine for children 6mo-2yo, so hopefully your pediatrician will follow this advice. Good luck to us all!
I recently asked our pediatrician at East Bay Pediatrics and she said that they ordered them, and are still hoping to give! So fingers crossed.