The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a US agency similar to Anvisa, has granted emergency use authorization for a booster dose of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11 at least five months after completion. of the primary vaccination schedule.
Pfizer made the request in late April, citing company data that showed a third dose of vaccine increased Omicron-fighting antibodies 36-fold in this age group.
“While it has largely been the case that Covid-19 tends to be less severe in children than in adults, the wave of Omicron has shown more children getting sick and being hospitalized, and children can also experience long-term effects, even though they initially mild illness,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a press release Tuesday.
“The FDA is authorizing the use of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 years old to provide ongoing protection against Covid-19.”
Studies by the New York State Department of Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the effectiveness of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 12 dropped substantially during the Omicron outbreak. , dropping from 68% to about 12% against infection. However, two doses continued to provide protection against more serious illness, resulting in urgent care or hospitalizations.
Public health officials urged Americans to stay current with their Covid-19 vaccines, including all recommended booster shots, as the best way to protect themselves and those around them.
A recent analysis of CNN The CDC data showed that for those who completed the vaccination schedule and received a booster in February, the risk of death from Covid-19 was 20 times lower than for unvaccinated people aged 12 and over.
The CDC’s Immunization Practices Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday to discuss Covid-19 vaccine boosters. While the agenda for the meeting has not been released, a vote is scheduled, according to the Federal Register.
Tuesday’s ruling means that anyone age 5 and older is now eligible to receive at least one booster dose.
Those aged 50 and over and people aged 12 and over who are immunocompromised are eligible for two booster shots in the country.
Moderna has also requested FDA clearance for a second booster dose for everyone age 18 and older, but a decision has yet to be made on that request.
In update
Source: CNN Brasil
