Pfizer and BioNTech plan to apply for Emergency Use Authorization for the 3rd dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for children ages five to 11. According to information released on the companies’ official website on Thursday (14), the request will be made to global regulatory agencies based on data extracted from a recent survey.
They point out that the production of antibodies against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 increased six-fold after the application of 10 micrograms of the immunizer in 140 children, a response considered “robust”.
Another part of the research, carried out with 30 children in the analyzed age group, shows that the production of antibodies increased 36 times when it comes to the Ômicron variant.
The result considers the comparison of the increase in antibodies observed after the application of the second dose and the study is focused on immunogenicity, which is the ability of the defense system to develop a response and neutralize the virus.
For pediatrician, infectious disease specialist and president of the Immunization Department of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, Renato Kfouri, additional doses are a trend to be adopted for all age groups. In the expert’s opinion, the data are important to corroborate the importance of adopting the third dose.
“We need to continue advancing in vaccination for all age groups. Loss of protection after a certain interval has already been demonstrated, especially in other countries. Even so, we noticed that some people consider this reinforcement unnecessary”, warns the doctor.
He also adds that Brazil has few studies that allow assessing the loss of protection between doses and the possible side effects of immunization against Covid-19, but he says that the data released by Pfizer and BioNTech are reliable.
“We still need to see the publication itself, as we didn’t have access to the data. However, the study was well done and represents an important advance”, points out Kfouri.
One of the institutions that will be triggered for the Emergency Use Authorization is the European Medicines Agency (EMA). However, there is no way to project when the reflexes and practical results will reach Brazil.
Childhood vaccination in Brazil
According to the survey of CNN Agency, until last Thursday (14), 4.4 million Brazilians between five and 11 years old had received the two doses of the vaccine against Covid-19. This represents about 21.3% of the population in this age group, fully immunized.
Federal government data released on Wednesday (13) indicate that the drop in the number of deaths caused by the Ômicron variant is 82% compared to the peak period of contamination.
Also according to the Ministry of Health, a drop is considered when the percentage change is -5% compared to 14 days ago. The reduction in the numbers of cases and deaths is attributed to the advance of vaccination.
Source: CNN Brasil
