CDC OK Pfizer COVID Vaccine (for 12 to 15 years old)

• A committee of CDC advisors voted on Wednesday to allow Pfizer vaccines to be given to teens aged 12 to 15 years.
• Voting by an independent committee of 15 experts was almost unanimous, with 14 in favor and one against.
• “This is another way to approach the end of this horrific pandemic,” said one advisor.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Board made progress on Wednesday to use Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for teenagers aged 12 to 15 years. While waiting for the final decision by the CDC director, the vaccine could be put into the arms of middle and high school students across the country as early as Thursday.

The Commission’s blessings (14 votes in favor, 1 counter-argument) came after a full day of discussion, data analysis, and debate among 15 independent infectious diseases. Experts advising the CDC How to use vaccines safely and ethically throughout the United States.

“This will mean that the rest of my family can be vaccinated,” said Dr. Helen Talbot of Vanderbilt University, after voting in favor of the decision. “I am very grateful so far.”

Other members of the committee shared her relief.

“The childhood experience our children have, to be honest, will have long-term consequences that can spread across generations,” said Stanford University, who is also a member of the committee. Dr. Grace Lee, a pediatric professor, said. “We do not yet fully understand the overall physical, mental and educational consequences of a pandemic on children.”

The vaccine was 100% effective in a trial of about 2,000 teenagers

Pete Bangnan / Media News Group / Daily Times via Getty Images

Pfizer’s vaccine, which has already been approved for people over the age of 16 in the United States, is green light for teens after being declared safe and effective in a corporate trial involving more than 1,000 people aged 12 to 15 years. I was vaccinated twice with Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Studies have shown that Pfizer-armed teens were much better protected from COVID-19 than more than 970 unvaccinated peers.

There were no cases of COVID-19 among teens who took both shots, and this trial achieved 100% efficacy of Pfizer’s vaccine.

Dr. Matthewdale, a panel member at the Institute of Health in Kaiser Permanente, Colorado, said this was a good sign.

“We are in this very privileged position to see a reduction in mortality and case rates with these vaccines. Therefore, this is another group to be vaccinated and these It will continue to decline, “Dale said.

On the placebo side of the study (non-vaccinated), 18 teens were infected with COVID-19 during the study.

The vaccine group also had three teenagers infected with COVID-19 a few days after the first injection, when full protection against the virus had not yet been obtained. These infections in semi-vaccinated teens are another clear sign that the vaccine does not work like a magic wand. Vaccinated persons must still be enthusiastic and patient with masking and distance to avoid infection, especially for 14 days after vaccination.

The CDC said COVID-19 could be considered the leading cause of death in teenagers

The risk of contracting COVID-19 tends to be lower in teens than in adults, but more than 1.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in US teens, with 13,000 cases in this age group. There are more hospitalizations.

At least 127 teenagers died of COVID-19 during a pandemic in the United States, making the disease one of the top 10 causes of death for people aged 13-18, compared to the latest deaths in 2019. It has become.

Teens infected with COVID-19 can spread the disease as well as adults. In short, infection poses a more threatening virus to parents, caregivers, and teachers than to small children.

“This is a really important issue for this summer,” said Dr. Camille Cotton of the Commission after voting in favor of allowing teens to shoot. “This is also a very good way to provide better community immunity, especially to immunocompromised patients with these teenagers in their families, and this is another way to approach ending this horrific pandemic. is.”

The CDC Advisory Board also changed its recommendations on Wednesday to administer other vaccines on COVID-19 shots, stating that people can get the COVID-19 vaccine along with other shots. Many pediatric vaccines have been co-administered for many years, and many teens are lagging behind routine immunization during a pandemic.

Pfizer vaccines for teens are exactly the same as vaccines for adults, both in dosage and timing. If you are 12 to 16 years old, we recommend taking two shots every three weeks. According to Pfizer data, it may be considered “fully vaccinated” seven days after the second vaccination.