The US Food and Drug Administration, approved το εμβόλιο Pfizer/BioNTech για τον COVID-19 για children aged five to 11, opening up a new age group sideways.
Children are less likely to have severe symptoms if they get COVID-19, but they can still catch and transmit the disease, according to the FDA. Cases and deaths in children peaked in September, which was the worst month for this age group, with more than a million new cases recorded at these ages.
The authorization makes vaccination available at 28 millions new people in USA only. A US poll in September found that about a third of parents say they want to vaccinate their five- to 11-year-olds "immediately" after approval.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is available for this group under an emergency license need. Η FDA ενέκρινε πλήρως το εμβόλιο για άτομα 16 ετών και άνω, αλλά εξακολουθεί να θεωρείται product emergency use for children aged five to 16 years.
California plans to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccines required for children to attend school once it receives full approval for school-aged children and adolescents. THE New York is considering something similar.
The other two COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) are only available to people 18 years of age and older. The FDA was close to making the Moderna vaccine available to teens between the ages of 12 and 17, but delayed the decision to look more closely at data on a rare risk of heart disease. Johnson & Johnson is still testing in younger age groups.
