When will coronavirus vaccines be given to children under 3 years of age?

Children under 3 years of age are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina . Even in the United States, people who have not reached the age of 5 years The Pfizer-BioNTech Research Institute is the first laboratory in North America to receive COVID-19 vaccine approval for people aged 5 and over. And the Sinopharm vaccine expands margins and allows vaccination for people over 3 years of age.

But what will happen to the population from newborn to 3 or 5 years of age, depending on where they are in the world or what vaccines they receive? The truth is that it is the population most relegated against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus because there is still no vaccine in this age group.

In the United States, two state-of-the-art laboratories in terms of vaccination against COVID-19, Moderna and Pfizer have been looking for months the right formula to vaccinate this group of children, and hope that some scientists have discovered. Define with “Goldilocks” dosage. Although it has enough strength to provide lasting protection, it is not enough to worry about a wide range of side effects such as high fever.

For children under 6 years of age, Moderna tested a two-dose regimen with a quarter of the adult dose. Next month, Pfizer is expected to seek approval for three prick therapies for children under 5 years of age, and a tenth of the dose is stronger for people over 11 years of age.Moderna is also expected to release clinical trial data soon in the following age groups between 6 and 11 years of age.

Yvonne Maldonado, professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Stanford University and one of the leading researchers at Pfizer's pediatric vaccine testing facility, said that in the coming weeks, the data provided by Moderna and BioNTech will be effective. The scientist noted that researchers are investigating whether Moderna with a stronger dose of Moderna “produces a stronger immune response” than Pfizer achieved for young children.

Moderna's option has aroused interest among federal scientists and vaccine experts. A series of studies raised questions about Pfizer's less potent vaccine protection time in school-age children.

As explained by Ofer Levy, a pediatric expert at Harvard University School of Medicine and a member of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Independent Vaccine Advisory Committee, Pfizer may have opted for doses that are too low for children between 5 and 11 years of age.Maximizing safety is our top priority.To date, this laboratory is the only laboratory in the United States that has approved vaccination for children between 5 and 11 years of age. Received.Adult permission applies to people aged 16 and 17.

Moderna approved the vaccination of adolescents in June, but the FDA postponed the review of the application due to concerns about the risk of myocarditis. Concerns about the risk of myocarditis have caused myocarditis to become inflamed and linked to Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Currently, in the United States, more than 22 million people under 18 years of age are completing the Pfizer vaccination schedule, but applications have stabilized. For example, only about 1 in 4 children aged 5 to 11 years have had a full schedule, but the vaccine was given to that group for more than 4 months.

However, as more people across the country have stopped wearing masks, more parents have returned to work, and as the summer travel season approaches, there is still a demand to protect young children. “There is no doubt that there are fewer benefits of effective vaccines for children compared to adults,” said Eric Rubin, an infectious disease expert at the TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University and a member of the FDA Advisory Panel.

In Argentina, COVID-19 vaccination began last October with the application of Sinoparm's Chinese vaccine. According to data from the Public Immunization Monitor, more than 8.7 million children between the ages of 3 and 11 were vaccinated.There are more than 575,000 children with associated risk factors.

In the last few weeks, the Argentine Association of Pediatrics and the Federal Health Commission have held meetings to promote vaccination with other vaccines that are on the official mandatory vaccination schedule, as well as COVID-19 vaccination.

On January 20, the United States Department of Medicines, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Pfizer/BioNTech Research Institute for children aged 5 to 11 years. And last Saturday, the Ministry of Health announced the expansion of the Moderna vaccine for children between 6 and 11 years of age. This decision is based on an analysis carried out by the National Institute of Medicines (part of ANMAT), and clinical evidence proves its applicability. Technical guidelines for the use of this vaccine in this age group will be established in the future.

Experts say they need a vaccine.

(CDC) 는 5세 이상 336명 COVID-19 과 함께 제공됩니다.

Hope for early coverage of young children grew after regulators pressured Pfizer-Biontech last month to publish preliminary results from a three-time vaccination trial. The FDA wanted to start a vaccination campaign with two doses while waiting for the final result of the third dose. However, this effort collapsed when Pfizer's new data, which covered information related to the Omicron wave, convincingly showed that the two doses were not adequately protected against symptomatic infections.

Now, at about the same time, more detailed results of the Pfizer and Moderna tests are produced.We do not yet know if the vaccine is effective enough for the younger age group, but both say it is safe according to the results of the study.

Paul Burton, Chief Medical Officer at Moderna, said, “I have not seen anything inappropriate so far and I have confidence in the safety profile.Pfizer spokesman Amy Rose noted that, after careful research, the Pfizer-BioNTech companies have chosen “the safest and most tolerable dose” for young children. Although federal authorities say that the efficacy of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines decreases over time. Some studies with adults suggest that Moderna's protection lasts longer.

Keep reading:

ANMAT approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children between 5 and 11 years of age.