Health will make Pfizer vaccine available to younger children after technical area approval

The Ministry of Health informed, this Sunday (18), that it will make available the vaccine against covid-19 from Pfizer for children between 6 months and 4 years of age after approval of the immunizer recommendation by the technical area of ​​the paste.

“The Ministry of Health has a contract with Pfizer to supply all vaccines approved by Anvisa and included in the National Plan for the Operationalization of Vaccination against Covid-19 (PNO). If the recommendation is approved by the technical area of ​​the folder, the vaccines will be made available throughout Brazil, as is the case with other age groups”, he said in a note.

The use of the immunizing agent was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) on Friday (16). Anvisa stressed that it is up to the Ministry of Health to decide on the incorporation and establishment of the vaccination schedule for this group.

“The authorization came after a technical analysis of data and clinical studies conducted by the laboratory. According to the Agency’s technical team, the information evaluated indicates that the vaccine is safe and effective also for children between 6 months and 4 years of age”, said Anvisa.

Different dosage from other age groups

The Agency’s assessment began on August 1. The agency clarified that the immunizing agent for children between 6 months and 4 years old has a different dosage and composition from those used for previously approved age groups.

“The vaccine formulation authorized today should be applied in three doses of 0.2 mL (equivalent to 3 micrograms). The initial two doses should be given three weeks apart, followed by a third dose given at least eight weeks after the second dose.”

According to Anvisa, the bottle cap of the vaccine approved for children aged 6 months to 4 years will come in wine color to facilitate identification by vaccination teams and also by parents and caregivers who will take children to be vaccinated.

“The use of different cap colors is a strategy to avoid administration errors, since the product requires different dosages for different age groups”, he said.

Immunizing storage

Anvisa stated that the vaccine has 12 months of validity, when stored at a temperature between -90 °C and -60 °C.

“Once removed from frozen storage, the unopened vial can be stored in a refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C for a single 10-week period, not exceeding the original expiration date.”