COVID-19 vaccination for children under 12 is one step closer to reality.
Pfizer announced that it submitted data of their phase 2 and phase 3 trial of their COVID-19 in children ages 5-11 to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A formal submission to request emergency use authorization (EUA) of the company's COVID-19 vaccine in children in this age group is expected in the coming weeks.
The FDA will need to analyze data before a decision is made.
"There is thinking we will see an emergency use authorization approval for children ages 5 to 11 years old before Halloween," says Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group
"We already have the emergency use authorization for children 12 and above. The vaccine will be a dose of Pfizer vaccine that is 10 micrograms rather than the 30 micrograms that many adults have gotten. That's one-third of the adult dose." Like other Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, it will be a two-dose series, and it will be most effective 14 days after second dose
Dr. Poland says it's not a surprise that those much lower doses generate antibody responses equal to people in that 12- to 18-year-old age group.
"Now what they're working on is a vaccine for those 6 months to 4 years old who will get one-tenth of the adult dose. Instead of 30 micrograms, they'll get 3 micrograms," says Dr. Poland. "And those early studies show it's safe, and it's effective."
Dr. Poland says besides vaccinations, it's important to follow other safety protocols to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections:
— Wear masks in public spaces.
— Practice good hand hygiene.
— Stay home if you are not feeling well.
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Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date.
