The US drug agency FDA today confirmed that Pfizer’s corona vaccine also works well in children under the age of 5. That message comes in the run-up to a meeting later this week to decide on the authorization for use of the product.
Children under the age of five were the only group in the United States, and in most other countries, not yet eligible for vaccination against Covid-19. As a result, the number of hospitalizations and deaths from the disease is higher among them than in the group of children between the ages of 5 and 17, the FDA said.
The drug agency will hold a meeting on June 15 to decide whether or not the Pfizer vaccine is recommended for young people under the age of five. It concerns three vaccinations for children aged six months to five years of the Pfizer vaccine and two vaccinations of Moderna for the same age group.
Distribution
Children would receive two injections of Pfizer three weeks apart and each injected 3 micrograms of the product. The third injection follows eight weeks later. Adolescents from the age of 12 receive 30 micrograms and children between 5 and 12 receive 10 micrograms each.
There are over 20 million Americans under the age of five, accounting for 6 percent of the total population. If the FDA gives its approval, the decision will fall into the hands of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which will have the final say on the matter.
Just last week, the White House announced that the distribution of the millions of doses to pharmacies and doctor’s offices could start from June 21.
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