Pfizer tests extra COVID shot for kids under 5 in setback

photo credit: Felton Davis / CC BY 2.0

Pfizer is testing an extra dose of its COVID-19 vaccine for babies and preschoolers after preliminary research hinted the usual two doses wouldn’t be enough.

Pfizer had been testing very low-dose shots in children under age five, with some data expected by year’s end.

But Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced Friday the change to its ongoing study after a preliminary analysis found two to four-year-olds didn’t have as strong an immune response as expected, although babies and toddlers reacted well.

It’s not clear how much the setback will delay the quest for vaccinating the youngest children.