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Children 5-11 to receive Pfizer COVID vaccine in U.S.
The United States will begin inoculating children aged between 5 to 11 with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine
A recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated shots of the Pfizer COVID vaccine can start being inoculated into children aged 5 to 11 from next week.
The White House has welcomed the news, enlisting 20,000 health care workers to help support the process and also shipped around 15 million doses ahead of the decision.
The CDC’s Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says this decision signifies a “momentous day” for the country with the Pfizer jab being the first pediatric COVID-19 vaccine authorised for use in the States.
Children will get two injections, given 21 days apart
But the vaccine will be given at a lower dosage – one third of the amount provided to teenagers and adults.
Some parents have been counting down the minutes until American regulators clear the vaccine for children, so that it can bring them back to “normal” in person education, as well as sports and other extracurricular activities that have been put on hold due to the pandemic.
Children are generally less likely than adults to suffer from severe cases of Covid, according to the CDC.
The agency revealed at least 2,316 kids ages 5 to 11 have suffered from multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, known as MIS-C – a rare but serious Covid-related complication, according to data shared by the CDC at the meeting.
CDC advisor Dr. Matthew Daley said there have been at least 2 million COVID cases in the age group, 8,300 hospitalisations and at least 94 deaths.
FDA modelling for benefits of vaccinating children:
Fully vaccinating 1 million kids ages 5 to 11 would prevent 58,000 Covid infections, 241 hospitalisations, 77 intensive care unit stays and one death, according to a modeled scenario published by the Food and Drug Administration last week.
Up to 106 kids would suffer from vaccine-induced myocarditis but most would recover, according to the agency.