Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration on Friday, creating a path for 27 million kids to get their vaccinations.
The dose for the youngest Americans will be one-third of that for adults, given two times three weeks apart. The CDC could approve the vaccine after its advisory committee meets Tuesday, which would mean young kids could start getting shots starting Wednesday.
Covid vaccine Approved For Children 5-11 By The FDA
Since the spread of the virus, many parents have been worried about the infection of their kids. With the introduction of a vaccine for kids, this worry will be removed forever as kids can also be protected against the viral infection of coronavirus.
FDA has recently approved vaccines for kids offered by a few of the makers after going through samples, data, and vast research in this direction. The new vaccine is believed to be completely safe for kids in the age group of 5 to 11.
Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock offered a statement regarding the approval, saying that parents, caregivers, school staff, and children have been waiting for today’s approval. Vaccinating young children against COVID-19 will help restore normalcy, she said with pride.
Parents and guardians can rest assured that this vaccine meets our high standards after our thorough and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to its safety and effectiveness.”
It is our belief that these products are safe, effective, and manufactured according to best practices. We are committed to providing transparency in our decision-making process, including meeting this week with the public advisory committee, so our decision documents have been posted today, and we will soon provide details of our evaluation of the data.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, stated in a statement that this information would assist parents in making decisions about vaccines for their children.
As a catalyst for a return to normalcy, it is an important tool, said Dr. Larry Corey, head of the COVID-19 Prevention Network at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. I feel an incredible sense of relief once I know my child is protected and won’t become severely ill while attending school.”
Its vaccine advisory panel voted 17-0 in favor of approval a few days ago, with one abstention. The panel noted that some members struggled with the decision despite the vote count.
Another panelist questioned the need for vaccinations for these young Americans. Dr. James Hildreth, of Meharry Medical College in Tennessee and committee member, told NBC that in some ways, we are vaccinating children to protect adults. Vaccinating children at highest risk is definitely necessary, but to vaccinate the entire population… that seems a bit too much to me.”
The vaccine researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Paul Offit, explained that making decisions for millions of children based on research taking place on only a few thousand children is always nerve-wracking. However, he emphasized that there is a risk of infection with COVID-19 among children.
“If you know enough, you’ll be able to protect yourself,” suggested Offit. There certainly are a number of children between the ages of 5 and 11 who could very well be sick with this disease and may even be hospitalized or even die from it.”
In that vein, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief medical officer Dr. Amanda Cohn also weighed in on the decision.
As far as I can tell from what I hear, COVIDs have a lot more benefits than risks when it comes to children who are hospitalized and have positive long-term outcomes. Unfortunately, they are dying,” Cohn said.
