The CDC recommends the Covid-19 vaccine for 6-month-old children, paving the way for early vaccination.

“Today is a major step forward in our fight against the virus, and virtually all Americans are covered by the protection provided by the COVID-19 vaccine,” Biden said in writing, adding: .. It’s a day of relief and celebration. “

Walensky approved two doses of Moderna vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years and three doses of Pfizer vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years. The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization and Implementation (ACIP) said on Saturday that if the Pfizer vaccine was given, a series of vaccinations would require three doses.

“Vaccines will be delivered to clinics, pharmacies and other clinical settings from Monday, so we will monitor inventory to determine when a search for vaccines under the age of 5 will be available on vacuums.gov,” Kevin Chatham said. -Dr. Stephens says. At the ACIP meeting, the CDC Vaccine Task Force’s Pediatric Vaccine Planning and Implementation Leader said.

“Parents and caregivers can contact their child’s pediatrician or family doctor, or the local health department, pharmacy, etc. to ask if they have the vaccine. All clinics and pharmacies are on Monday. I understand that I am not vaccinated against. “

Moderna and Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines approved for infants

On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration extended the Emergency Use Authorization for Moderna vaccines to children aged 6 months to 17 years and Pfizer / BioNTech to children aged 6 months to 4 years.

The CDC Vaccine Advisor will discuss the use of the Moderna vaccine in older children aged 6 to 17 years at a meeting on June 23.

Currently, about 17 million children under the age of 5 are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Covid-19 is the leading cause of infectious disease-related deaths up to the age of 19, but data show that vaccination can prevent these deaths, Dr. Matthew Daily said at the ACIP meeting on Friday. ..

“Covid-19 is the leading cause of death for infectious diseases in people aged 0 to 19 years, and Covid-19 is the seventh leading cause of all deaths in people aged 0 to 19 years,” Daley, Kaiser. The Health Institute of Permanente Colorado told the Commission.

“By March 2022, unvaccinated people over the age of 5 were at least 10 times more likely to die of Covid-19 than those vaccinated in the primary series,” Daley said. In other words, the data are “real-world evidence that most deaths from Covid-19 can be prevented by vaccination.”

At the ACIP meeting on Saturday, Dr. Veronica McNally said she was “struck” by the impact Covid-19 had on children.

“I’m amazed at these numbers: 2 million cases, 20,000 hospitalizations, more than 200 deaths. And I also for the potential severity of respiratory viruses in children of this age. I am concerned about underestimation and sometimes unclear understanding of my parents. Long-term consequences, including MIS-C. ”

Will the youngest child be vaccinated?

Many public health experts say that parents of these children may not be able to take their children, even though the Covid-19 vaccine is currently licensed for younger age groups. I’m worried.

After recommending the vaccines, Daily said, “Efforts will only continue,” citing the importance of telling parents “how important these vaccines are to save the lives of children.”

Incorporation of the Covid-19 vaccine in children is already slow.

“It is very important to have vaccine options for the youngest children, but my concern is that children in the 5-12 year group have relatively low doses of Covid vaccine. Dr. Danbaruch, director of the Virology and Vaccine Research Center at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said Wednesday.

Barouch, who was not involved in the FDA or CDC decisions, supported the development and research of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine.

He said there was a “significant” difference in the number of fully vaccinated adults compared to children and teens.

“We are planning and preparing for the deployment of a pediatric vaccine. Of course, there is a lot of work to be done to consider taking this vaccine. Some of the publicly available surveys and surveys The number of parents considering giving these vaccines to their children over the long term has shown a continuous decline. “

“The more pandemics we have in our rear-view mirrors, or the more we believe they will, the less we will be forced to do so. Therefore, we have a large public health education in front of us. There is a campaign, “Freeman said. “Also, the local health sector is trying to understand the situation in the community in terms of the number of healthcare providers, pediatricians and pharmacies actually enrolled to provide vaccines.”

Pediatrics group supports ACIP recommendations

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Nurses (NAPNAP) have issued statements in support of a vote recommending the Covid-19 vaccine for young children aged 6 months.

At a CDC meeting on Saturday, Dr. Bonnie Maldonado, chairman of the AAP Infectious Diseases Commission, said it was important to focus the distribution fairly.

“As of June 8, 23 million children aged 5 to 17 have been vaccinated twice with the Covid vaccine, but another 26 million in this age group have not yet been vaccinated. Hmm, reduce inequality and address barriers to vaccination in all communities so that all children and families can benefit from the protection of these vaccines, “she said.

Patsy Stinchfield, along with NAPNAP, spoke in support of this recommendation, but called on ACIP to emphasize the importance of vaccination in this age group.

“I was a little disappointed with some of the headlines that came up after the VR BPAC decision emphasized the citation. It’s up to my parents. This can be misunderstood as considering this vaccine for infants as an option. Baby parents. If you have a heart defect, “it’s up to you to have your child undergo a cardiotomy.” “Your child needs a cardiotomy,” she says. Said.

“We never get out of the pandemic with a’it’s up to you’type of strategy,” she said.

“Profit clearly outweighs risk.”

With FDA approval, the Moderna vaccine can be given to babies and children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years as a double-dose primary vaccine with a single dose of 25 micrograms. For older children aged 6 to 11 years, the dose is 50 micrograms each.

Currently, the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine can be administered at a dose of 3 micrograms as a primary series of triple doses for use in infants and children aged 6 months to 4 years.

Dr. Paul Offit, FDA’s vaccine adviser, said on Wednesday that children vaccinated with Pfizer vaccines need to complete a three-dose series to receive adequate prophylaxis.

Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Pennsylvania Children’s Hospital, said:

Dr. Janet Leigh of the Arkansas Medical College has agreed to be a member of the FDA’s Vaccine Advisory Board.

“Three doses are certainly beneficial. I am very worried that many of these children will not take the third dose,” she said. “My concern is that I have to take three doses to get what I really need.”

Side effects common to both vaccines include injection site pain, headache, fever, chills, and malaise, according to clinical trial data. The vaccine appeared to elicit an immune response in children similar to that found in adults.

The FDA’s Vaccine and Related Biopharmaceutical Advisory Committee has determined that the benefits of both vaccines outweigh the risks, and said the vaccine is “tolerable” among children vaccinated in clinical trials. I did.

Oveta Fuller, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, said: Discussion about modana vaccine.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biopharmaceutical Evaluation and Research, said the number of childhood hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 is much higher, as it is a concern compared to influenza-related deaths and hospitalizations. I am.

“During the Omicron wave, hospitalization rates were still relatively high during this period,” he said. “The hospitalization rate is actually quite annoying, and it’s even worse when compared to what you see during the terrible flu season.”

Marks said the death toll of children under the age of four during the first two years of the pandemic was “very badly compared to what was seen with the flu in the past.”

“We are tackling the problem that we must be careful not to be insensitive to the number of deaths in children because of the overwhelming number of deaths in the elderly here. All life It’s important, “he added. Vaccine-preventable death is the death we want to do. “

He added that the Covid-19 vaccine is a similar intervention to the flu vaccine and is widely and routinely used and accepted to prevent deaths of all ages.