Younger children may get the Covid-19 vaccine within a few weeks

How well does the vaccine work and is it safe?

As many pediatricians say, children are not small adults, so the FDA needs to look at data from trials specifically conducted on children.

Children’s bodies are still developing and respond differently to vaccines than adults. Therefore, as with vaccines for children, scientists have tested different doses to determine what the child’s body can tolerate and what dose levels it protects. For younger children, Pfizer has requested approval for a dose of 10 micrograms. The dose used for people over 12 years is 30 micrograms. The vaccine still needs to be given twice at 3 week intervals.

Pfizer reported no serious side effects such as pericarditis, pericardial inflammation, myocarditis, or myocardial inflammation while monitoring participants for three months after the shot. These rare side effects are found in some vaccinated adults and teens. The scale of the study was small enough that scientists say it is unlikely that problems will arise among volunteers.

In an assessment posted late Friday night, the FDA said the benefits of Pfizer / BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the risks to children aged 5 to 11 years in the current pandemic state. The FDA said vaccines carry a theoretical risk of myocarditis or pericarditis and may require treatment or even hospitalization. However, if enough virus is circulating, the risk of Covid-19 is high.

“This is a very high level of effectiveness,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health at Brown University. “I thought it was pretty convincing, as it was like I saw it in the early days of Pfizer before the Delta and other variants of concern came into effect.”

Why do you need a vaccine for children?

For pediatricians and many anxious parents, the vaccine does not arrive immediately.

Where can my children be vaccinated?

The Biden administration said it had a contract to get enough supplies to vaccinate all 28 million eligible children.

Fewer mass vaccination sites are used in adult vaccines, as in the United States. Pediatricians say long lines are not child-friendly and crying can be contagious. Therefore, the focus will be on where the child usually goes to care and where parents can ask questions to a trusted medical institution.

“Children have different needs than adults, and our operational plan is to vaccinate in a familiar and reliable environment for parents and children,” said Jeff Seients, Correspondence Coordinator for Whitehouse Covid-19, Wednesday. It is tailored to meet those specific needs, such as offering. “

The hope is to make these vaccines as easy as possible for children.

This version of the vaccine is packaged in a small configuration that can be stored in a refrigerator, such as in a clinic.

Child-sized vials can also be stored for up to 10 weeks.

At the local level, clinics also plan months to vaccinate children.

In the UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital system, Hoyen said he is working hard to ensure that all pediatric practice has the necessary licenses and shipments. Flyers are printed on the health system and outreach activities are planned. There are also some larger vaccination sites in case your child does not have a regular pediatrician or your doctor is not set up to vaccinate.

“For us, that’s going to be pretty routine, and I think that’s what the administration wanted,” Hoyen said. “This works and when kids come for a visit of healthy kids, they can also get their Covid shots.”

Do parents vaccinate their children?

The number of parents who bring their children to get vaccinated is not yet clear.

Vaccination of children can be slow if the teenage numbers are any sign. Teens and preteens are the least vaccinated age group of already qualified people.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Wednesday.

In addition to masks, Hoyen said he wants parents to understand that vaccines are one way to get children to school. You can also protect them for the future. Recently she said she is treating more children with long Covid symptoms. Even children who had mild cases in the first place deal with the symptoms after a few months.

“These vaccines are safe and effective,” Hoyen said. “We want to enter the holiday season and stay with friends and family, so once these vaccines are available, it would be a really great holiday for all of us if everyone, including children, could be vaccinated. It will be a gift. ”