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

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

But what will happen to the population from infants to 3 or 5 years old, depending on where they are in the world or what vaccines they receive? The truth is that it is the most relegated population 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 the right formula for months to vaccinate this group of children and hope that some scientists have discovered it. Define with the dosage “Goldilocks”. While it has enough strength to provide lasting protection, it's 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 stinging therapies for children under 5 years of age, and one-tenth of the dose is stronger for people over the age of 11. Moderna is also expected to release clinical trial data soon in the following age groups between 6 and 11 years of age.

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

Moderna's option has sparked interest among federal scientists and vaccine experts. A series of studies has raised questions about how long Pfizer's less potent vaccine is protected in school-age children.

As explained by Ofer Levy, a pediatric expert at the Harvard University School of Medicine and a member of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Independent Vaccine Advisory Board, 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 lab is the only lab in the United States that has approved vaccination for children between 5 and 11 years of age. Received. Adult authorization applies to persons aged 16

Moderna approved the vaccination of adolescents in June, but the FDA postponed reviewing the application due to concerns about myocarditis risk. Myocarditis risk concerns caused myocarditis inflammation and linked to Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Currently, in the United States, more than 22 million people under the age of 18 are completing the Pfizer vaccination program, but applications have stabilized. For example, only about 1 in 4 children between the ages of 5 and 11 had a full program, 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 than adults,” said Eric Rubin, an infectious disease expert at the TH Chan School of Public Health in Harvard University and a member of the FDA Advisory Board.

In Argentina, the COVID-19 vaccination started last October with the application of the Chinese Sinoparm 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 recent weeks, the Argentine Association of Paediatrics and the Federal Health Commission have held meetings to promote vaccination with other vaccines that are part of the program mandatory vaccination officer, as well as COVID-19 vaccination.

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

Experts say they need a vaccine.

(CDC) 5336COVID-19 .

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

Now, around the same time, more detailed results from the Pfizer and Moderna tests are being produced. We still don't know if the vaccine is effective enough for the younger age group, but both say it's safe based on the study results.

Paul Burton, Moderna's Chief Medical Officer, said: “I haven't seen anything inappropriate so far and I have faith in the safety profile. Pfizer spokesperson Amy Rose noted that after a careful research, Pfizer-BioNTech companies have chosen “the safest and most tolerable dose” for young children. Although federal authorities say that the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines decreases over time. Some adult studies suggest that Moderna's protection lasts longer.

Keep reading:

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