The benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine for young children made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE exceed its risks, according to a panel of U.S. experts, putting a shot for the youngest school-age children on track for a likely clearance.
The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccines advisory committee voted 17-0, with one abstention, to back the immunization, which is intended for children from 5 to 11 years old and is one-third the dose currently given to people age 12 and older.
Making a vaccine available to children in elementary school would mark a major milestone in the pandemic. Though kids generally don’t get as sick from COVID-19 as adults, schools have been at the center of public debate over U.S. virus policy, and providing children with a shield against infection is likely to be welcomed by many parents.
If the FDA issues an emergency authorization, which is expected, it could pave the way for shots to start being administered at schools, pediatricians’ offices and pharmacies around the U.S. within weeks. The agency isn’t required to follow the panel’s recommendations, but it often does.
A clearance would also mark the climax of a rapid series of developments on the vaccine front. Last week, regulators signed off on booster shots for many recipients of the Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the U.S. Moderna also submitted data on its own shot for younger children on Monday.
Together, those moves could also give renewed life to the U.S. vaccination effort, which has run into problems convincing more people to get a first dose even as increasing numbers of employers, restaurants and events require proof of inoculation. Health officials in the U.S. have continued to say that vaccination offers the best protection against the coronavirus.
