Pfizer Covid shot is effective and safe for young children
Key Takeaways:
- According to FDA officials, Pfizer Inc.'s Covid injectable proved successful for children aged 4 and under, with no new safety concerns.
- According to the data, studies involving the youngest children showed a lower rate of adverse reactions than trials involving older children.
- Children under five have become vulnerable due to a lack of vaccines, while numerous pandemic precautions, such as masking and social distancing have been withdrawn.
In a study prepared before a major meeting of FDA advisors later this week, FDA staff noted that Pfizer Inc.'s Covid injection was successful for youngsters ages 4 and under with no new safety concerns.
The advisors will gather for two days beginning Tuesday to consider mRNA vaccinations in children. On Wednesday, Pfizer's application for permission in young children aged 6 months to 4 years will be reviewed alongside Moderna's application for clearance in children aged 6 months to 5 years.
The "available data help the effectiveness" of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccination in children aged 6 months to 4 years, as per the staff report, which was released on the FDA website on Sunday.
According to the analysis, trials involving the youngest children had a lower rate of adverse reactions than trials involving older children. According to the report, this could be owing to the lower mRNA doses utilized in the youngest children.
The FDA assessment of the Pfizer shot in young children stated that the available data "does not raise any new safety concerns."
The FDA staff report for the Moderna vaccination in children aged 6 months to 17 years old was released on Friday, and it said that the vaccine was safe and efficacious in these age groups.
On Wednesday, the FDA's Vaccines as well as Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet to review data on both vaccines in children under the age of five and hear comments from industry and health officials. The council, made up of independent scientific experts, will then recommend whether or not the shots should be authorized.
The Moderna shot in children aged 6 to 17 will be the focus of Tuesday's first day of the meeting. In the United States, the Moderna shot is only approved for adults aged 18 and up, but the Pfizer shot is already approved for children aged 5 and up.
Many parents, including caregivers who have been keen to protect their children against the virus, would be relieved to learn that vaccination for the youngest age group has been approved. As several pandemic safeguards, including masking and social distancing, have been lifted, children under five have become vulnerable due to a lack of immunizations.
Multiple preschool-age individuals were admitted to the hospital during the peak of the Omicron wave due to serious Covid infections. As a result of Covid, several young children with cancer have had life-saving chemotherapy delayed, potentially lowering their prospects of a cure.
Covid vaccines for the youngest kids will be accessible as early as June 21, according to the Biden administration. Once the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approve, the government will have 10 million doses of vaccinations from Pfizer and Moderna ready to go.