Vaccination in children: American experts recommend Moderna and Pfizer

In live webcast discussions, members of an advisory committee reviewed all available clinical trial data on children six months to four years old at Pfizer, and six months to five years old at Moderna . .

As in many countries, this is the last age group to not yet have access to this protection.

In two votes, 21 experts unanimously felt that the benefits of vaccinating young children with vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer outweigh the risks.

I know that many very simple parents are definitely listening to us todaycommented Jay Portnoy, one of the committee members.

Based on these opinions, the American Medicines Agency (FDA), whose decisions are referenced to the world, is now responsible for granting its official approval.

About 10 million doses will be immediately shipped to four corners of the country. Millions more in the coming weeks, the U.S. government said.

Injections could begin next Tuesday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also gave a go-ahead. The experts of CDC will meet for their part on Friday and Saturday.

The dose was reduced

The dose of vaccines was adjusted: it was a quarter of adults for Moderna (25 micrograms vs. 100 for adults) and a tenth for Pfizer (3 micrograms vs. 30).

The main difference between the two products is the number of injections required: Moderna vaccine is always given in two doses per month. A Moderna representative said the studies were already planned on a booster dose.

Pfizer will be made in three injections, two doses that did not cause an adequate immune response due to the low dose. The first two injections from Pfizer will be given three weeks in between and the third will be given two months later.

Some experts stressed that it is important for parents to know that their children will not be adequately protected after just two doses of Pfizer and that they will have to wait for three doses – and therefore several months – before they can.

Safe and effective vaccine

Both vaccines are safe and effective, according to the FDA, which released its own review in clinical trials last week to provide a basis for discussion for experts.

According to a preliminary estimate, the vaccine from the Pfizer-BioNTech alliance was found to be 80% effective against the symptomatic form of the disease. But this data is based on a very small number of positive cases, which the FDA qualifies for.

The Moderna vaccine has been shown to be 51% effective in infants 6 months to less than 2 years of age and 37% effective in children 2 to 5 years of age. These numbers are consistent with the effectiveness observed in adults against the Omicron variant, according to the American agency. However, the vaccine continues to protect them against severe cases of the disease.

Light effect

Regarding side effects, approximately a quarter of young children who received the Moderna vaccine had a fever, especially after the second dose. It usually subsides after a day.

At Pfizer, the rate of fever observed was comparable between children who received the vaccine and those who received placebo.

While some parents are eagerly awaiting the possibility of their children being vaccinated, others will no doubt be skeptical. According to a survey in May, only one in five parents (18%) of a child under the age of five wants to have them vaccinated as soon as possible.

Although the youngest are less vulnerable to COVID-19 and the risk is low for them, approximately 480 children under 4 years of age still die in the United States.

Hospital rates also rose sharply for this age group during the wave linked to the Omicron variant. In all, there have been 45,000 children under the age of 5 hospitalized in the United States since the pandemic began, a quarter of them having to be admitted to intensive care.

Like adults, children infected with COVID-19 may experience long-term symptoms (COVID-19). In rare cases, they may also have pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.