:quality(50)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/semana/5US5ZS4PSZCH7P5K4STLITETAU.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "US CDC supports vaccinating babies from six months against covid")
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unanimously supported recommending the use of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines against covid-19 in babies from six months of age .
The recommendation is pending the signature of CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, but once that procedure is over, the vaccines could begin to be administered as soon as next weekreported the American chain CNN.
On Friday, during the debate on the proposal, Dr. Matthew Daley explained that unvaccinated minors over the age of five have a ten times higher risk of dying from coronavirus than those vaccinated with at least the first dose.
Already on Saturday, Dr. Veronica McNally highlighted that two million cases have been recorded in minors in the United States, 20,000 hospitalizations and more than 200 deaths.
“I am also concerned that the possible severity of a respiratory virus in children of this age and its long-term consequences, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, are downplayed,” he said.
Daley highlighted the importance of conveying to families “how vital these vaccines are to protect children’s lives.” “Covid-19 is the leading cause of death from an infectious disease between 0 and 19 years old and the seventh overall cause of death between 0 and 19 years old,” she stressed.
In days gone by, the The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urgently authorized on Friday the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against covid in infants and younger children, paving the way for the first injections, now almost certain, next week.
The Moderna vaccine, in two doses, is authorized as an emergency for children between six months and five years. Pfizer’s, this time in three doses, will be between six months and four years. This is the last age group that had not yet received protection in the United States.
The FDA also approved Moderna’s vaccine for children and adolescents between the ages of six and 17 at the time. Pfizer’s had already been authorized for five years.
“Many parents, caregivers, and physicians have been waiting for a vaccine for younger children, and this action will protect children as young as six months of age,” FDA Director Robert Califf said in a news release.
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“As we have seen in older age groups, these vaccines for younger children will provide protection against the most severe cases of Covid-19, such as hospitalizations and deaths.”
The entity was awaiting approval by the CDC, but the US government had indicated that, as soon as the FDA issued its decision, some 10 million doses could begin to be shipped in advance to the four corners of the country, and millions more in the coming weeks. The necessary equipment for injections will also be provided.
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