What to know about Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for young children: is it recommended? Is it safe?

Want more news on public education? Sign up for free and weekly at the Alabama Education Lab newsletter, Ed Chat.

A Panel of Food and Drug Administration experts concluded that the benefits and ability of the Pfizer vaccine to prevent significant COVID-19-related outcomes ‘clearly outweigh’ the risks to young children, soon paving the way for injections for the children of Alabama.

Pfizer’s study of 2,268 children aged 5 to 11, who received two injections three weeks apart, found the vaccine to be 90.7% effective. The recommendation from the FDA advisory group now goes to the FDA, which is considering emergency use authorization. Once donated, officials and doctors in Alabama can schedule the distribution of the injections.

Tell the Ed Lab: Are you planning to have your child vaccinated? Why or why not?

“The vaccine saves lives,” Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the pediatric infectious disease division at the UAB School of Medicine, said at a press conference Wednesday. “So if you have a way to prevent your child from getting seriously ill or even dying … I strongly encourage parents to speak to their pediatrician, who I think will strongly recommend that this particular child be done. vaccinate. “

How it works? Are there any side effects?

Children will receive approximately one third of the dose given to adolescents and adults. The study found that the dosage resulted in generally mild to moderate side effects, including fatigue, arm pain, and chills, which only lasted for a few days. Children will receive two injections for a complete regimen.

Serious side effects, namely myocarditis, the inflammation of the heart muscle which has rarely been reported in some men under 30 years of age in the days following the injection, have not been seen in children 5 to 11 years old. years during the study. However, the scientists noted that the study was not large enough to detect extremely rare side effects.

For request of federal regulators, Pfizer and Moderna have expanded the size of their clinical trials for children aged 5 to 11 – a precautionary measure designed to detect rare side effects, The New York Times reported.

There will be more reviews in the coming days, but the FDA is expected to clear the vaccines for emergency use early next week.

Dr Kimberlin noted the “huge amounts of data and information” confirming the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

“I would say we actually know more about this vaccine than any other vaccine – and we know a ton about all the other vaccines and we use them very safely and very widely to prevent death and disease. childhood illnesses, ”Kimberlin mentioned.

Why do children need vaccines?

While children overall appear to be less susceptible to COVID-19 infection and generally have milder symptoms, vaccinating this age group will likely help slow community transmission, according to the study.

“When you think about the percentage of the population that is the pediatric age group, having the opportunity to increase vaccination rates and immunity within that population will most likely have a positive impact on the overall likelihood of transmission in a given case. community, ”Kimberlin said.

Alabama’s positivity rate is currently 6.2% after peaking over 23% during the summer delta surge, according to the Department of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard public of Alabama. The highly contagious variant has also seen more cases and hospitalizations in children than the original strain of the virus.

But the falling numbers don’t mean children don’t need to be immunized.

“The virus is not gone, it is still there. But luckily it’s at much lower levels right now, ”Kimberlin said. “The next wave is coming … and it’s time to protect yourself and your child from it, it’s now – not when the tsunami hits the beach.”

Kimberlin added that schools should continue with universal masking until a sufficient amount of the pediatric population is vaccinated and should only consider removing the warrants when transmission in the county reaches low to moderate levels.

And after? How can my child get one?

The ADPH has said it will follow the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control once guidelines are given for pediatric vaccinations.

COVID-19 vaccine suppliers do not have the pediatric product in stock, the agency said, but information on the vaccine’s availability in the state will be released once approval is granted.