US health authority gives Covid vaccine for kids final approval

The shots will become available next week, expanding the nation’s vaccination campaign to children as young as 6 months.

While Covid-19 has been the most dangerous for older adults, younger people, including children, can also get very sick.
AP

While Covid-19 has been the most dangerous for older adults, younger people, including children, can also get very sick.

The US has opened Covid-19 vaccines to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

The shots will become available next week, expanding the nation’s vaccination campaign to children as young as 6 months.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the vaccines for the littlest children, and the final signoff came hours later from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the agency's director.

"We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can," Walensky said in a statement on Saturday.

While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves vaccines, it's the CDC that decides who should get them.

The shots offer young children protection from hospitalisation, death and possible long-term complications that are still not clearly understood, the CDC's advisory panel said.

The government has already been gearing up for the vaccine expansion, with millions of doses ordered for distribution to doctors, hospitals and community health clinics around the country.

Roughly 18 million kids will be eligible, but it remains to be seen how many will ultimately get the vaccines. Less than a third of children ages 5 to 11 have done so since vaccination opened up to them last November.

READ MORE: Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines safe and effective for small children: FDA

Available kinds

Two brands — Pfizer and Moderna — got the green light on Friday from the FDA and Saturday from the CDC. The vaccines use the same technology but are being offered at different dose sizes and number of shots for the youngest kids.

Pfizer’s vaccine is for children 6 months to 4 years old. The dose is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later.

Moderna’s is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids 6 months through 5 years old. The FDA also approved a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for children with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

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How well do they work?

In studies, vaccinated youngsters developed levels of virus-fighting antibodies as strong as young adults, suggesting that the kid-size doses protect against coronavirus infections.

However, exactly how well they work is hard to pin down, especially when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine.

Two doses of Moderna appeared to be only about 40 percent effective at preventing milder infections at a time when the Omicron variant was causing most Covid-19 illnesses. Pfizer presented study information suggesting the company saw 80 percent with its three shots. But the Pfizer data was so limited — and based on such a small number of cases — that experts and federal officials say they don’t feel there is a reliable estimate yet.

Should my little one be vaccinated?

Yes, according to the CDC. While Covid-19 has been the most dangerous for older adults, younger people, including children, can also get very sick.

Hospitalizations surged during the Omicron wave. Since the start of the pandemic, about 480 children under age 5 are counted among the nation’s more than 1 million Covid-19 deaths, according to federal data.

“It is worth vaccinating even though the number of deaths are relatively rare, because these deaths are preventable through vaccination,” said Dr. Matthew Daley, a Kaiser Permanente Colorado researcher who sits on the CDC’s advisory committee.

In a statement on Saturday, President Joe Biden urged parents to get them for their young children as soon as possible.

Can children get other vaccines at the same time?

It’s common for little kids to get more than one vaccine during a doctor’s visit.

In studies of the Moderna and Pfizer shots in infants and toddlers, other vaccinations were not given at the same time so there is no data on potential side effects when that happens.

But problems have not been identified in older children or adults when Covid-19 shots and other vaccinations were given together, and the CDC is advising that it's safe for younger children as well.

READ MORE: US judge orders to maintain Covid asylum ban, Biden govt to appeal

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