After more than a year of worrying about her 13-year-old son, who suffers from a rare liver disease, Heather Ousley burst into tears when she learned that he and millions of young people could soon be eligible in the United States for the COVID vaccine. -19.
“This day is the best day in the history of days !!! I love this day !!! ”she said in a text message, just as excited as other parents and educators at the news that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could authorize the Pfizer vaccine next week for children from 12 to 15 years old.
Pfizer also anticipates that the FDA will support the use of its vaccine even in younger children by the fall. Additionally, by the middle of this year the results of a study by Moderna in boys between 12 and 17 years old are expected.
Authorities hope that expanding vaccination to children will further reduce the number of cases in the United States and allow schools to reopen with minimal disruption in the fall.
It could also reassure both parents and teachers. While children rarely get seriously ill from the coronavirus, they can still get sick and spread it to others.
In March, Pfizer released preliminary results from a study of 2,260 volunteers ages 12 to 15 in the United States showing there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated children compared to 18 cases among those who received placebos.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that if the FDA authorizes the use of Pfizer’s vaccine in 12-year-olds, his government is prepared to send doses to 20,000 pharmacies across the country and directly to pediatricians.
In addition, the president set the vaccination goal so that 70% of adults in the country have received at least one injection against the coronavirus before July 4, when the country celebrates Independence Day.
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Associated Press reporter Carolyn Thompson reported from New York and Richmond from Wisconsin.
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