Photo: Mufid Majnun
The US government has announced that they will be launching COVID-19 shots on February 21 for children aged under 5.
While Pfizer Inc and BioNTech did not reach the target in a clinical trial of 2–4-year-olds, it seems that the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) may be permitting these vaccines regardless.
The drug manufacturers said they put forward a date supporting legal permission at the FDA’s request for the sake of addressing an urgent public health necessity in that age group.
The Food and Drug Administration’s exterior advisers are set to meet on February 15 for them to discuss whether or not they think it is a good idea that the vaccine will be legally permitted.
The US government initially planned to import 10 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The CDC document says this should happen by February if it’s allowed by FDA regulations.
In the United States, there are around 18 million children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years, and there will be more supply past the primary 10 million doses, said the CDC.
The first launch will begin with areas where there is a higher risk for critical COVID-19 disease for children.
After the CDC advisory, further shipments will be given to jurisdictions and federal pharmacy partners on February 23 and February 25 or around a week following.
If it is permitted, children as young as the age group will get a lower dose of the vaccine. Pfizer/BioNTech tried out 3 micrograms of the vaccine in the age group, while 10-microgram does in the 5–11-year-olds and 30-microgram dose for individuals aged 12 and older.
