Roughly a third of parents with elementary school children are eager to vaccinate their children, while a third prefer to wait.
NY Times Coronavirus Briefing Tuesday October 26, 2021
In a move eagerly awaited by many parents and educators across the U.S., an advisory committee to the F.D.A. recommend Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. If fully authorized, shots could be offered as early as next week.
The F.D.A.’s outside experts voted after regulators argued that thousands of children ages 5 to 11 have been hospitalized with Covid-19 and nearly 100 have died over the course of the pandemic. Seventeen committee members voted in favor of the pediatric dose; one abstained.
The F.D.A.’s outside experts voted after regulators argued that thousands of children ages 5 to 11 have been hospitalized with Covid-19 and nearly 100 have died over the course of the pandemic. Seventeen committee members voted in favor of the pediatric dose; one abstained.
The panel voted to give children of that age group a dose that is one-third of the strength given to people 12 and older, in two shots, three weeks apart.
The decision opens the way to inoculating 28 million children in the U.S. Polling has shown that roughly a third of parents with elementary school children are eager to vaccinate their children right away, while a third prefer to wait.
Here are some answers to some common questions about vaccines and children.
How effective is the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children? During clinical trials, the children who got the vaccine produced a strong immune response, comparable to the levels of antibodies seen in earlier studies of participants who were 16 to 25. But children in the 5- to 11-year-old group achieved this response with 10 micrograms of the vaccine, a third of the dose given to older children and adults. Pfizer presented trial data, saying its vaccine had an efficacy rate of 91 percent against symptomatic Covid-19.
