A panel of leading vaccine experts endorsed the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE. for children from 5 to 11 years old. So how soon will you be able to vaccinate your children? There are a few more details to hone before regulators give vaccination the green light:
Whats Next?
First, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have to decide whether to adopt the experts’ recommendation and authorize the vaccine. That will probably happen in the next few days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will then convene an advisory committee of its own to make further recommendations on who to administer vaccines and when.
The committee is expected to meet and discuss this November 2-3, however, there is no published public agenda for the meeting yet. The CDC director can adopt those guidelines, edit them, or issue her own if she disagrees with what the panel suggests.
Once all those officials have expressed their opinion, the vaccination campaign will begin.
Should I have my child vaccinated?
FDA staff determined, after reviewing data from Pfizer clinical trials of about 4,500 children, that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risk. The FDA advisory committee voted 17-0 to authorize the vaccine for emergency use, and they agreed with the opinion of the staff based on the facts available to them.
Although the vote count was one-sided, some panelists disagreed with what they said was the lack of data on side effects, the prevalence of previous COVID-19 infections in children, and the vaccine’s ability to protect against variants. .
Pfizer found, in trial data of 2,250 children, that the vaccine was 90.7% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19.
Is it the same vaccine as the one adults get?
No. The dose for ages 5 to 11 is lower, as is the needle.
Where can I take my child to get the vaccine?
The answer will vary by location, but a good first step would be to contact your pediatrician. Unlike the initial launch for adults, the US Government is not planning mass vaccination sites for young children, as they take a little longer (and need a little more comfort) when they receive a vaccine.
Instead, the plan is to let doctors’ offices and pharmacies handle most of the distribution.
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Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
