FDA approves COVID-19 booster vaccines for children ages five to 11

Children between the ages of five and 11 can now receive a booster dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine, the Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday.

Authorities first gave the green light for additional age group shoots and said they would provide “continuous protection from Covid”.

They are available for five months after the second hit.

Although many experts point out that children have a negligible risk of serious illness and death if they contract Covid.

Official figures show that as of March 2020, around 1,000 children have died from Covid, about 0.001% of the more than one million deaths in the country. For comparison, there are 740,000 Covid deaths among those over the age of 65.

Use of the first vaccination was low in the age group, with approximately 28% receiving the first two doses.

The Pfizer vaccine is the first injection approved as a booster injection for children ages 5 to 11. Moderna’s vaccine is available for people over the age of 18.

The FDA is also considering approving first rounds of Covid vaccines for children ages six months to five, with a decision expected in the coming weeks.

The graph above shows the absorption of the first and second doses by age group. It shows that absorption is delayed in children aged 5-11 years.

Dr. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said today, “The FDA is authorizing the use of a single dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine for children ages five to 11 to provide lasting protection against Covid.

Vaccine remains the most effective way to prevent Covid and its serious consequences, and it is safe.

“If your child is eligible for the Pfizer Covid vaccine and has not yet received the primary series, getting the vaccine can help protect them from serious consequences such as hospitalization and death.”

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s center behind vaccine approval, said: “Evolving data suggest that vaccine efficacy declines after the second dose of the vaccine in all licensed populations.

The FDA has determined that the known and potential benefits of a single booster dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine for children aged five to 11 years at least five months after completing the primary series outweigh the known and potential risks.

“A booster dose can help provide lasting protection against Covid in this age group and older.”

The vaccine was approved for the age group without an advisory board meeting on vaccines and related biologics.

The FDA said this was due to the fact that the approval “raised no questions that could benefit from further discussion by committee members.”

Last month, Pfizer applied for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its booster injection, which is expected to be approved for the age group last month.

The FDA is also investigating a Moderna EUA to vaccinate children six months to five years old.

Pfizer is also expected to apply for use in the age group this month.

Children receiving Pfizer’s Covid booster injection are given 10 milligrams (mg), the same as the first two doses.

That’s a third of what’s available to adults at 30mg.

But many experts have expressed concerns about vaccinating children because of the low risk of contracting the virus.

CDC estimates show that about three-quarters of children have already contracted COVID, giving them some protection.

Up to half of these cases were asymptomatic, according to University of Utah estimates.

Previous research in New York has also found that injections actually do little to prevent infection, with the immunity they provide rapidly diminishing.

The commission was recently rejected by the FDA and CDC when agencies approved the fourth Covid injection for Americans 50 and older.

Last week, a meeting of the Vaccine Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), part of the CDC, was due Thursday for no particular reason.

After the upcoming FDA approval, the CDC panel is likely to meet and discuss possible approval of the shots.

Pfizer is also seeking approval for COVID-19 vaccines in children aged six months to four years, a process that was discontinued after initial data showed the three-dose regimen to be ineffective in some age groups.

The company’s vaccine launch was incredibly profitable and took the pharmaceutical giant to a new level. Headquartered in New York, Pfizer expects more than $30 billion in vaccine sales this year.

If it gets this approval, it could push the figure even higher.