An infectious disease expert at Boston Medical Center says Pfizer’s data on its coronavirus vaccine is promising when it comes to children ages 12 to 15.
“For all of us to return to a new normal, we are going to need to vaccinate as much of the population (as possible) and we know that children make up about 20% of the US population,” said Dr. Sabrina Assoumou. “So vaccinating children will be an important piece of our strategy,” he added.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for youth by next week, according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process, setting vaccines for many before the start. next school year.
The announcement will come a month after the company discovered that its injection, which is already licensed for ages 16 and over, also provides protection to the younger group.
In late March, Pfizer released preliminary results from a vaccine study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12-15, showing there were no COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated teens compared to 18 among those who received sham injections. .
Children had similar side effects to young adults, the company said. The main side effects are pain, fever, chills, and fatigue, especially after the second dose. The study will continue to track participants for two years to learn more about long-term safety and security.
Pfizer isn’t the only company looking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Results are also expected by the middle of this year from a US study of Moderna’s vaccine in 12 to 17-year-olds.
The FDA’s action will be followed by a meeting of a federal vaccine advisory committee to discuss whether to recommend the vaccine for children 12-15 years of age. Vaccines could begin after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopts the committee’s recommendation. Those steps could be completed in a matter of days.
“There is likely to be an FDA EUA at some point for children 12 and older,” Baker said Friday. On Monday, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said the state “anticipates that the CDC may authorize vaccines for children ages 12 to 15” at some point “in the next few weeks.”
To be prepared to meet demand if federal authorities green light an adolescent vaccine, Baker and Polito announced Monday that the state will maintain its vaccine pre-registration system even at four of the seven mass vaccination sites that would be phased out. so that parents who prefer to take their children to a mass vaccination site can register in advance.
Polito said more information would be received if the feds approve the expansion of Pfizer’s emergency use authorization, and Baker suggested the state could test new delivery methods to vaccinate the very young.
Assoumou said doctors still need to see all the data, but the information available so far is promising.
On Sunday, during CBS’s “Face The Nation” show, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he believes the Pfizer vaccine will soon be approved for children ages 12 to 15 and that about five million children in the The United States will receive the vaccine as soon as they are able.
“There are about 17 million children between the ages of 12 and 15. I think we will pick up about five million right away. I think probably another five million, five to seven million, will be vaccinated during the summer before the school year.” He said.
It was unclear Monday how many additional people would be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts if one for children is approved. There were approximately 641,190 people ages 10 to 17 in Massachusetts in 2019, according to data from the US Census Bureau.
Gottlieb, who advised Baker during the early days of the pandemic, said states are already working on ways to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to a younger population, including making the doses available to pediatricians.
“There is a lot of effort going on right now to try and break the vaccine down into units that can be distributed in doctor’s offices to allow pediatricians to provide those vaccines. And I think that ultimately, that’s the way we’re going to get there. get more children vaccinated, “Gottlieb said. “I think initially you will see that vaccination sites will start offering vaccines to children. Pharmacies will too. But really, the key to vaccinating children is to do it through pediatricians.
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