US: CDC Advisory Committee considers boosting vaccine for children ages 5 to 11

An advisory committee of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is meeting today to consider recommending a third, boosting dose of covid-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved a booster dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for this age group as covid-19 cases rise again in the country.

The CDC Advisory Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP) may recommend boosting a vaccine dose for some children in this age group, but may not consider it necessary for all, experts said.

“Has Omicron and other Omicron-like strains caused some degree of illness in children, but less so than Delta, so is there a substantial benefit (from a booster dose)?” Asked Dr. William Schaffner of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Diseases.

Evidence from companies showing the FDA that a booster dose of its covid-19 vaccine elicits a strong immune response against Omicron in healthy children aged 5 to 11 years.

Serious illness is relatively rare in this age group, especially for children who have received two doses of the vaccine.

Dr. Paul Ofit, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases at Philadelphia Pediatric Hospital, estimated that booster doses in children would not significantly affect the progression of the pandemic, although they may offer short-term protection against mild illness and some additional illness. serious illness in children at high risk.

If ACIP recommends boosting the children, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky is likely to support the commission’s proposal.

Just over 8 million children in the US between the ages of 5 and 11 – 29% of the total – are considered fully vaccinated against covid-19 with the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine.

The vaccine has not yet been approved for use in children under 5 years of age.

SOURCE: AMPE

Source: Capital

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