The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11. The announcement comes after the Food and Drug Administration granted authorization for the vaccine for children in this age group last week.
“The dose recommendation is 10 micrograms, which is smaller than the 12 and above patients, who got the same vaccine as the adult amount,” explained Dr. Purva Grover, emergency medicine physician for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Previously, only children 12 and older were eligible for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Grover says extensive research was conducted before the FDA granted approval for the new age group, and no major side effects were reported. Although children are less likely to get severely ill from Covid-19, they can still catch the virus and infect others who may be more vulnerable.
Many children have been hospitalized, especially in areas with low vaccination rates, and nearly 700 children under 18 have died since the start of the pandemic, according to the FDA.
She knows some parents may still be concerned about the safety of the vaccine, but said the protection offered by the vaccine far outweighs the risks of catching Covid-19. She also notes that it will help bring normalcy back to the lives of many children who have had a hard time during the pandemic.
“Younger kids are having a harder time than ever, and we have data from the pediatric ED about how the number of patients coming in with behavior concerns, anxiety and stuff in that age group has doubled, tripled even,” said Dr. Grover. “That’s because society was shut down on them. So, the COVID vaccine also provides this release about going back to normalcy to a large extent.”
Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for use in children under 18.
