FDA authorizes Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for adolescents 12 to 15 years old
Source: Washington Post
The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in children as young as 12 on Monday, expanding access to the Pfizer-BioNTech shot to adolescents ahead of the next school year and marking another milestone in the nations battle with the virus. The decision that the two-shot regimen is safe and effective for younger adolescents had been highly anticipated by many parents and pediatricians, particularly with the growing gap between what vaccinated and unvaccinated people may do safely.
Evidence suggests that schools can function at low risk with prevention measures, such as masks and social distancing. But vaccines are poised to increase confidence in resuming in-person activities and are regarded as pivotal to returning to normalcy. Adolescents, especially, have suffered tremendously from the covid pandemic. Even though theyre less likely than adults to be hospitalized or have severe illness, their lives really have been curtailed in many parts of the country, said Kawsar R. Talaat, an assistant professor of international health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A vaccine gives them an extra layer of protection and allows them to go back to being kids.
Expert advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are scheduled to meet Wednesday to recommend how the vaccine should be used in that age group, and the vaccine can be administered as soon as the CDC director signs off on the recommendation.Children rarely suffer serious bouts of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. But there is no way to predict the few who will become dangerously sick or develop a rare, dangerous inflammatory syndrome.
Out of more than 581,000 covid-19 deaths in the United States, about 300 have been people under 18 a tiny fraction of the total. But that exceeds the number of children who die in a bad flu season. Children appear to be less efficient at spreading the virus, although their role in transmission is still not fully understood another reason for pediatric vaccinations. Clinicians also worry that with a new virus with many unknowns, the possibility exists for long-term impacts of infection, even from the mild or asymptomatic courses of illness common among children.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/05/10/coronavirus-vaccine-for-kids/
sheshe2
(83,764 posts)Bleacher Creature
(11,256 posts)AllyCat
(16,187 posts)Bleacher Creature
(11,256 posts)So they clearly are prepared for it, which makes it more annoying that they didn't just have it ready to go as soon as the announcement came out.
I know that sounds whiny, but I just want to be done with this.
AllyCat
(16,187 posts)The rollout or some nonsense. So Thursday will be the earliest.
Moostache
(9,895 posts)We want to travel again.
We want to go places in public as a family again (instead of individually only).
We'd just like to feel like we can congregate with my father again without added risks.
For the anti-vaccination crowd, I pity you and your offspring. I'd say much more, but it always swerves into very hostile thoughts, so much like Mr. T from years ago...
BoringUsername
(142 posts), but thankfully he'll be turning 12 in late June, so now we should be able to get him vaccinated before he starts middle school. My 18 year old son, my husband and I all got our second Moderna shot today.
I am looking forward to meeting my new nephew that was born last year. Can't visit him until my youngest gets vaccinated. It's looking like maybe late summer we'll be able to see him.
Moostache
(9,895 posts)I had the Moderna and my wife the Pfizer. I had a sore arm for exactly 3 days following each shot and then on the 4th day it just stopped hurting completely. My wife had mini-flu-like symptoms for a few hours on day two from her second shot, but nothing serious or debilitating at all.
Hope your experience is the same or better and that you get to see that little one soon!
BoringUsername
(142 posts)For two or three days the first time. My husband and son also had sore arms. Seems like it is going to be about the same the second time.
spinbaby
(15,090 posts)My 8-year-old grandson is sick with fifth disease, which has spread like wildfire at his school because they apparently cant keep kids from infecting each other. If covid comes to his school, theyll all have it.
BumRushDaShow
(128,979 posts)In that case, they are trying to determine the dosing amount because obviously they younger sent can't handle an adult dose.
One article is here - https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/pfizer-launches-pediatric-trial-test-covid-vaccine-children-rcna500
Based on a "6-month" eval period, they should have some sort of data/refined dosing amounts by the fall.
AllyCat
(16,187 posts)All the automated lines say they are ineligible and when I get a live person, they do not have this particular vaccine. Argh!!!
Evolve Dammit
(16,733 posts)AllyCat
(16,187 posts)BumRushDaShow
(128,979 posts)This was just FDA. CDC must also evaluate and their Advisory Committee would vote to approve or not. CDC's Committee is supposed to meet on Wednesday, for the final discussion and vote. Looks like the meeting will begin at 11:00 am EDT.
From here - https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html (as of 5/11/21 as I expect that link updates continually)
May 12, 2021 emergency meeting is a virtual meeting.
No registration is required.
Draft Agenda May 12, 2021 (PDF)
Webcast Link
Since it doesn't appear to require any dosage changes and since locations already have the vaccine in place, then it would probably be made available much quicker for that age group but will depend on the locale on whether it might be able to be used by private pediatricians if they have the proper storage conditions (but in that case, would most likely happen via a hospital where that pedi is on the staff if people prefer to go to their doctor vs a pharmacy/mass vaccination site for it).