Covid vaccines for children under-5 cleared by US health officials

Health officials in the United States on Saturday approved Covid-19 vaccines for infants and toddlers, the last remaining age group that hasn’t been eligible for inoculation.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory committee on immunisation practices voted 12-0 to recommend Pfizer’s three-dose vaccine for children aged from six months to four years. They also voted 12-0 to recommend Moderna’s two-dose vaccine for children six months to five years. CDC director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendations, making the advice official and allowing the shots to finally go into arms.

The approval came just a day after the US medicines regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), greenlighted both vaccinations in a move that means almost everyone will be able to be vaccinated against the virus.

The FDA also cleared the use of Moderna’s Covid shot for children and adolescents from six to 17 years of age. Until now, only Pfizer’s vaccine was available for children five years and older.

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President Joe Biden said the decision marked a “monumental step forward in the nation’s fight against the virus.

“These vaccines are safe, highly effective, and will give parents the peace of mind of knowing their child is protected from the worst outcomes of Covid-19,” Mr Biden said in a statement.

The CDC endorsement is welcome news to the parents and caregivers who have been eager to give their youngsters some form of protection since vaccines first became available more than a year and a half ago. However, the rate of vaccination for older children suggests that uptake is likely to be limited for toddlers.

Only 29 per cent of American children, ages five to 11 have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data, suggesting that some parents are hesitant or less motivated to inoculate their children.

Children are less likely than adults to experience the worst outcomes of Covid, and those under age five account for about 440 of more than one million related US deaths. Still, health officials warn, the rate of hospitalisation and death for children, particularly during the omicron wave, has been concerning.

Data presented during Saturday’s meeting showed that since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been over two million Covid-19 cases, 20,000 hospitalisations, and 200 deaths among US children aged between six months to four years.

“We really want to get these children vaccinated, because we know vaccinations prevent infection, but to a greater extent prevent severe disease, Anthony Fauci, the president’s medical adviser, said last Thursday in a senate hearing.

Moderna’s two-dose vaccine was 51 per cent effective at preventing cases of Covid for those under two years and 37 per cent effective for those aged two-five, the FDA said. Common side effects of Moderna’s shot include pain, injection-site swelling and fever, the agency said. For Pfizer’s, the most common side effects included irritability, decreased appetite and fever.

Parents and doctors may prefer Moderna’s because of its higher efficacy after two doses, Cowen analyst Tyler Van Buren said in a note. Moderna’s vaccine contains a higher dose of mRNA than Pfizer’s.

The US government has already secured a supply of 10 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna to vaccinate under-fives. — Bloomberg