Ritu Jha-
Children, too, can now breathe easy.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the Pizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for prevention of COVID-19 to include children 5 through 11 years of age.
The news was welcomed by Indian- American parents but they are skeptical still.
“I am glad the vaccine is available for children under 11 years. Now parents can decide whether to get their children vaccinated or not depending on their children’s health, but I am not in a hurry. I shall consider it only if I have some travel plans,” Neha from San Ramon, California, mother of a 10-year-old told indica News.
Long-term side effects of the vaccine on children’s health worried her, she said when asked what was keeping her from getting her child vaccinated as early as possible in a scenario where Covid-19 is affecting children too. “So, I just want to wait until the children of some of my acquaintances take it,” she added.
Another parent too, echoed Neha’s sentiment. Sheela (name changed) told indica News that she finally got flu shots for her 10-year-old son just a week ago after a long wait for the vaccine to get approval. “I would wait until next year,” she said, “to wait and see more results on the reactions of the vaccine.”
However, Dr. Anupama Gotimukula, President of AAPI welcomed the move. “The vaccine is essential for children. It is proven that vaccinated teenagers in the above 12 age group, are protected from Covid 19,” she told indica News,
“This becomes like a flu vaccine from now. Covid is not going anywhere, we will live with it forever, new variants keep coming up, so the vaccine is the only way we can protect ourselves,” Dr. Gotimukula stated.
Same thoughts were shared by Dr. Yvonne (Bonnie) Maldonado, MD, professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology and population health at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
“I believe that the FDA made the right decision to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11-year-old children. The data presented at their recent meeting demonstrated high levels of safety, immune responses and efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19. Children deserve to be protected just like other age groups,” Dr. Maldonado, the Taube Professor in Global Health and Infectious Diseases told indica News when asked if it was safe or the FDA could have waited.
COVID-19 is one of the top 10 causes of death among children in the U.S. The vaccine approved by the FDA under Emergency Use Authorization will help protect them against serious infection, she emphasized.
Dr. Maldonado said two shots, one-third of the adult dose for each, would be given 21 days apart. Reactions, likely to be similar to that of older children and adults, including pain,
redness, and swelling at the site of injection, low-grade fever, headache and fatigue are likely to occur generally within 24-48 hours of vaccination and last less than a day or two.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children administered as a two-dose primary series 3 weeks apart, is a lower dose (10 micrograms) than that used for individuals 12 years of age and older (30 micrograms).
In the U.S, COVID-19 cases in children 5 through 11 years of age make up 39% of cases in individuals younger than 18 years of age. According to the CDC, approximately 8,300 COVID-19 cases in children from that age group resulted in hospitalization. As of October 17, 2021, 691 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the U.S. in individuals less than
18 years of age, with 146 deaths in the 5 through 11 years age group.
According to reports, the authorization was based on the FDA’s thorough and transparent evaluation of the data that included input from independent advisory committee experts who overwhelmingly voted in favor of making the vaccine available to children in this age
group.
The effectiveness data to support the Evaluation of Available Effectiveness Data in children down to 5 years of age is based on an ongoing randomized, placebo-controlled study that has enrolled approximately 4,700 children in the said age group. The study is being conducted in the U.S, Finland, Poland and Spain.
