A US government panel has voted to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine jabs that should be given to children aged five to eleven. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) experts supported the move on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, flagging the way for emergency authorization of the vaccine within weeks.
BREAKING: The @US_FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (#VRBPAC) voted in support of granting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech #COVID19 vaccine in children ages 5 to <12 years.
Learn more: https://t.co/R8QPujSN2v pic.twitter.com/sJpg0lWT8R
— Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) October 26, 2021
Trials
In September, the company said that its trial data showed the Covid jab was safe for children for this age group. In September, the company trial data submitted to regulators said that the thrusts produced a vigorous antibody immune response in that age limit. However, the regulators also had to assess the risks of heart inflammation, though it is a very rare side-effect of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
On Monday, Moderna also announced that it would submit the trial data to regulators after a study found that its own Covid vaccine produces a “robust neutralizing antibody response” in children aged six to eleven.
BREAKING: Interim data from the Phase 2/3 study of our #COVID19 vaccine in children 6 to 11 years of age showed a robust immune response, with a favorable safety profile. Read more here: https://t.co/dV8RlJmadJ #vaccine pic.twitter.com/IJaqu5KtnA
— Moderna (@moderna_tx) October 25, 2021
The FDA’s expert panel determined that the benefits of having the jab easily overcome any other health risks. Children aged five to are given a jab, with a third of the dosage given to adults.
CONCLUSION
The decision now awaits further approval from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They are expected to approve on November 2. This means that vaccinations could begin on the very next day. The US is already giving vaccine doses to those aged twelve and above. This latest decision affects about 28 million US children.
The world will be watching how the deployment goes with the Pfizer jabs and its impact on the pandemic. The US regulator has carefully considered the pros and cons of the vaccine jabs and further said that this is the case for vaccinating younger children against the Covid-19 virus.
The USA has reported more than 5,000 cases of a rare inflammatory disease linked to Covid infections, among which children are 46. Although most children are far-fetched to get seriously ill if they catch coronavirus, they might still be infectious, even without any symptoms. The vaccine could help stop them from spreading the virus to others.
