On July 5, 2022, the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health sent Health Advisory #200 to health care providers, hospitals and other health care facilities in the state. Local health departments passed it on to providers in their area.
The recommendation
On June 24, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed a recommendation of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The recommendation made the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine an option for children ages 6 through 17. Moderna vaccines were already recommended for children ages 6 months through 5 years and for adults 18 and older.
Products and doses
- Ages 6 through 11: a multiple-dose vial with a dark blue cap and purple border. The primary series was 2 doses, one month apart.
- Ages 12 through 17: a multiple-dose vial with a red cap and light blue border. The primary series was 2 doses, one month apart.
- Moderately to severely immunocompromised children ages 6 through 17 were recommended to get a third primary dose, at least one month after the second dose.
- Moderna vaccines were not authorized at that time as booster doses for ages 6 through 17.
The vial for ages 6 through 11 was labeled “BOOSTER DOSES ONLY,” because the same vial was used for adult boosters. The advisory said the vial was also approved for the primary series in ages 6 through 11, until a new label for that age group came out.
Providers had to read the emergency use authorization (EUA) fact sheet for providers before they gave the vaccine, and give the fact sheet for recipients and caregivers to parents. The advisory also pointed to the state COVID-19 vaccination due date calculator.
See other health advisories, including Health Advisory #178 on an additional mRNA dose and Health Advisory #180 on Pfizer boosters.
This guidance is from July 2022. It is kept here as a record and is not current advice. Check current guidance from the CDC or your doctor.