FDA says Pfizer vaccine appears effective for children under 5

The children under the age of 5 years are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States leaving them vulnerable to the virus. However, that is soon going to change as the Food and Drug Administration has on June 12, 2022 said that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appears to be safe for children under the age of 5 years. A review has been published by the agency just before the meeting to be held on 15, 2022 where some of the outside experts will be voting if the vaccine is ready to be rolled out for the youngest population of the country.

A similar analysis was also posted for the Moderna vaccine by the FDA for children under the age of 6 years. If the approvals go well then there is a possibility that the vaccines could be cleared to begin by as soon as next week by one or both the manufacturers. As per the review of FDA  the COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths in children between 6 months and 4 years  is high despite the fact that they make for just 3 percent of the cases in the United States. The agency has also said that the children who received COVID-19 shots by Pfizer had developed the virus-fighting antibodies  that protected against COVID-19. It forms the basic requirements required for authorization from the FDA.

The vaccine by Pfizer was given in three doses and it was found that the shots were 80 percent effective in preventing the symptomatic COVID-19. The data that has been presented is based on ten cases that is diagnosed in the study participants which could change as the study continues and makes a progress.

On the other hand Moderna offers only two doses which has shown that it is about 40 to 50 percent effective in preventing the mild infections. The vaccines by the companies were tested at different points during the pandemic when different variants were circulating.

Photo Credits: Pixabay