US health officials gave final approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 injection for children. A milestone that opens a great expansion of the country’s vaccination campaign for children up to 5 years of age.
COVID Pfizer: The decision marks the first opportunity for Americans under the age of 12 to get any COVID-19 vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration has already licensed vaccines for children ages 5 to 11, doses just one-third of the amount given to teens and adults. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recommends receiving FDA-approved vaccines.
The announcement by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky came just hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided that Pfizer vaccines should be opened to 28 million young people in that age group.
The decision marks the first opportunity for Americans under the age of 12 to get the powerful protection of any COVID-19 vaccine.
“As a mother, I encourage parents with questions to speak with their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of vaccinating their children.” Walensky said Tuesday night in a statement.
The IMPACT of covid in children is REAL
In remarks earlier in the day, he said that while the risk of serious illness and death is lower in young children than in adults, it is real. And that COVID-19 has had a profound social, mental health and educational impact on young people, including learning disparities.
“There are kids in second grade who have never had a normal school year,” Walensky said. “Pediatric vaccination has the power to help us change all that.”
President Joe Biden called the decision “a turning point.”
“It will allow parents to end months of worrying about their children and reduce the degree to which children transmit the virus to others,” he said in a statement. “It is a great step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics welcomed the decision as its members prepare to begin the first injections in the little ones, which, according to the CDC, could begin “as soon as possible.”
Children ages 5 to 11 will receive two low doses, three weeks apart, of the vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech. The same program as all the others, but with a smaller needle.
Parental concern
Many parents have called for the vaccine’s protection for young people so they can resume normal childhood activities without risking their own health, or fear of bringing the virus home to a more vulnerable family member.
But CDC advisers said they acknowledge that many parents also have questions and may fear the vaccine because of rampant misinformation.
Members of the advisory panel said they want parents to ask about vaccines and understand that they are much better than betting their child will escape a serious coronavirus infection. In terms of safety, more than 106 million Americans have safely received two doses of Pfizer’s full-strength injections, including more than 7 million children ages 12 to 15.
What about younger children?
Pfizer is testing vaccines for infants and preschoolers and expects data by the end of the year. The similarly manufactured Modern vaccine is also being studied in young children. But the FDA It has not yet licensed its use in teens, and the company is delaying its application for younger children pending that review.
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