Federal health officials announced on Sunday that pediatric dosages of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccinations are safe and effective for children under the age of five, another critical step toward a long-awaited decision to start vaccinating America's youngest children.
(Photo : CDC / Unsplash)
Pfizer Vaccine for Children Under 5
In a study provided before a major meeting of FDA advisors later this week, US Food and Drug Administration staff stated that Pfizer Inc.'s Covid injection was effective for children aged five and younger, with no concerns about safety.
The FDA's Pfizer vaccine assessment was made public ahead of a meeting of independent vaccine experts on Wednesday. During the meeting, experts will propose how the agency should decide on proposals from both Pfizer and Moderna to vaccinate children.
The staff report noted essential things, including "available data that indicate the efficacy" of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine in children aged six months to four years. Trials of younger children had a lower rate of adverse responses than trials of larger age groups. According to the findings, this might be owing to the lower mRNA dosages utilized in the youngest children.
"Given the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic and likelihood of continued SARS-CoV-2 transmission during the ensuing months, deployment of the vaccine for use among children 6 months through 4 years of age will likely have a beneficial effect on Covid-19-associated morbidity and mortality in this age group," the FDA said.
Additionally, the current data do not reveal any additional safety concerns, according to the FDA assessment of the Pfizer injection among the youngest children.
The FDA staff report for the Moderna vaccine in children aged 6 months to 17 years old, on the other hand, was released on Friday and said that it was efficacious in these age groups without causing severe unanticipated adverse effects.
Pediatric Covid Vaccine Under 5
Per New York Times, experts will continue the meeting happening for two days beginning Tuesday to examine mRNA vaccinations for children. Pfizer's application for permission in young children aged six months to four years will be addressed on Wednesday, together with Moderna's application for clearance in children aged six months to five years.
If authorities approve one or both firms' vaccines, immunizations may begin as soon as next week, with the drug manufacturers ready to send dosages needed by the government quickly. Parents have been pleading with federal officials for months to allow them to safeguard their children as more people forgo masks and other public health protections.
According to Bloomberg, the Biden administration stated earlier this month that Covid vaccinations for the youngest children will be available as early as June 21. The government has 10 million doses of vaccinations ready to go from Pfizer and Moderna as soon as FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide the go signal.
Related Article: Pfizer COVID Vaccine: FDA Approval for Use on Children Ages 6 Mos. to 4 Years Old Now Processing
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Written by Thea Felicity
