BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Pfizer said its COVID vaccine is harmless and effectual for children 5 to 11 years old.
The institution said it volition question exigency usage authorization and shots could beryllium disposable arsenic soon arsenic Halloween.
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The quality is simply a ray of anticipation for immoderate parents with younger children. Children present relationship for 1 successful 4 caller cases and the Delta variant is sending much kids into the infirmary than astatine immoderate different clip successful this pandemic.
“Anything that’s going to support the children is ever gonna beryllium bully quality for me,” said Alexis, a genitor of 2 children nether the property of five.
Pfizer utilized a smaller dose of the vaccine for children successful their proceedings and recovered it to beryllium “safe and well-tolerated, resulting successful robust neutralizing antibody responses,” according to a connection from the institution released Monday.
Now, it volition nonstop their results to the FDA and different regulatory agencies for vaccine approval.
“If the FDA looks astatine this information and feels assured that it demonstrates this vaccine is harmless and effectual for children 5 to 11, you could person a vaccine wrong a period to 6 weeks,” said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Former FDA Commissioner.
And it’s not a infinitesimal excessively soon.
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“So galore parents are waiting precisely for this news, particularly fixed what’s happening present with the Delta variant…..there person been astir fractional a cardinal caller cases successful children successful the past 2 weeks,” said Dr. Lena Wen, Public Health Professor astatine George Washington University.
Many parents are present breathing a suspiration of relief, similar Wiley.
“Anything is amended than nothing,” helium said, who plans to springiness his lad the vaccine arsenic soon arsenic it becomes available.
But for Christina, different parent, this proceedings doesn’t supply capable evidence. “I’m not giving my kids the vaccine,” she said. “Because I don’t consciousness similar it’s been afloat tested.”
The vaccine has already been approved for children 12 years aged and older but arsenic cases surge among younger children, Doctor Aziza Shad the Chair of Pediatrics astatine Children’s Hospital At Sinai said a vaccine volition support kids retired of the hospital
“Having a vaccine that’s approved by the extremity of the twelvemonth could forestall truthful galore children from getting truly sick from COVID successful the aboriginal parts of adjacent year,” said Dr. Shad.
If the regulatory reappraisal with the FDA goes thing arsenic it did for adults and older kids, which took astir a month, millions of children could statesman receiving their changeable astir Halloween.
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Despite that, it is improbable children younger than 5 volition beryllium eligible for the vaccine earlier the extremity of the year.