Article highlights
- FDA addresses dosing errors with Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine (2023-2024 Formulation) in children 6 months to 11 years.
- Correct dosage is 0.25 mL; some healthcare providers mistakenly administered entire vials.
- No safety risks identified with higher dose; no serious adverse events reported due to dosing errors.
- Healthcare providers urged to withdraw accurate 0.25 mL dose and follow updated administration guidelines.
- Updated formulation includes Omicron variant; previous bivalent version no longer authorized in the US.
The FDA is highlighting dosing information for Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine (2023-2024 Formulation) in children aged 6 months to 11 years, after the federal agency learned that some health care professionals did not recognize entire vials were sometimes being administered to children.1
The correct volume of the vaccine to be administered to children under the FDA authorization is 0.25 mL. Some health care providers have administered the entire contents of the single dose vial to children, not recognizing this vial contains “notably more” than 0.25 mL of the vaccine.1
No associated safety risks have been identified with the administration of the higher dose in children aged 6 months to 11 years. Further, no serious adverse events were reported as related to a dosing error for the vaccine.1
The FDA is advising health care professionals who administer the vaccine to make sure the correct volume of the vaccine is withdrawn from the vial and the correct dose is administered to the patient.1
The Dosage and Administration section of the Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine has been updated to provider further clarification regarding the correct volume of 0.25 mL for this patient population.1 In part, this section of the Fact Sheet states:
