Pfizer vs moderna for under 5- any advice on which to choose?

[Anonymous]

My pediatrician is offering both. I have a boy that turns 4 in September. Any insight or does it not matter?

[Anonymous]

We chose Moderna for our 22-month old because "fully vaccinated" status is possible in 6 weeks instead of the 11 that Pfizer requires.

Our decision was based on this comparison

Moderna Pros:
6 weeks to fully vaccinated
Generally had better efficacy in older age groups
Better efficacy in children when comparing 2 doses vs 2 doses
2 doses instead of 3

Pfizer Pros:
Fewer myocarditis issues reported in older age groups
More time proven safe in children
Efficacy after 3 doses was better than after 2 with Moderna

We figured that boosters and waning protection would eventually clear the efficacy gap of 3 doses vs 2. Also myocarditis issues are possibly due to accidental intravenous delivery, which can be avoided with aspiration if the technician can do it.

[Anonymous]

Moderna — you get protection against quarantine policies sooner.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone seen guidance on how soon to get vaccinated after infection? We had the bad timing to get covid 3 weeks ago.

[Anonymous]

Pediatrician didn't have a preference. We chose Moderna for many of the reasons stated above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone seen guidance on how soon to get vaccinated after infection? We had the bad timing to get covid 3 weeks ago.

No need to wait. You just need to be out of the isolation period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We chose Moderna for our 22-month old because "fully vaccinated" status is possible in 6 weeks instead of the 11 that Pfizer requires.

Our decision was based on this comparison

Moderna Pros:
6 weeks to fully vaccinated
Generally had better efficacy in older age groups
Better efficacy in children when comparing 2 doses vs 2 doses
2 doses instead of 3

Pfizer Pros:
Fewer myocarditis issues reported in older age groups
More time proven safe in children
Efficacy after 3 doses was better than after 2 with Moderna

We figured that boosters and waning protection would eventually clear the efficacy gap of 3 doses vs 2. Also myocarditis issues are possibly due to accidental intravenous delivery, which can be avoided with aspiration if the technician can do it.

Note the Pfizer efficacy data has pretty wide error bars, so it is a pretty minor pro.

[Anonymous]

My son is also turning 4 in September and not sure what to choose for the reasons outlined above. Leaning moderna for quicker completion but am tempted by Pfizer for fewer side effects and larger brand name.

[Anonymous]

Moderna is more likely to cause unpleasant side effects. Remember that it's 5/6 the dosage of the Pfizer adult dosage and we all know how awful a lot of us felt from those shots. That seems way too strong for a young child.

[Anonymous]

Pfizer has been used in millions of kids already and has fewer side effects. Out of an abundance of caution, I’m going with Pfizer for my under-5s.