The government has started preparing for the vaccine campaign with states, pharmacies, and medical organizations in anticipation of the FDA's approval.
White House Urges State Leaders for the Vaccination of Kids
In a recently published article in The Hill, On Tuesday, the White House coronavirus task group encouraged state officials to be ready to start vaccinating children with COVID-19 as early as next month once the Pfizer-BioNTech will have its emergency use authorization from the US FDA,
On a regularly scheduled call, administration officials warned governors that school-aged children might be eligible for the doses by early November and urged states to have plans in place to get them vaccinated, according to a person on the call.
Meanwhile, Jeff Zients, the White House's pandemic response coordinator, informed governors that the White House had enough vaccine to inoculate approximately 28 million children aged 5 to 11, according to a recently published article in NBC News.
Pfizer-BioNTech Asked US FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization
Pfizer said last week that it had filed an emergency use authorization application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 5 to 11. On Oct. 26, an FDA advisory group will meet to consider the application.
Furthermore, Pfizer enlisted 4,500 participants from the United States, Finland, Poland, and Spain to research elementary-school-aged children. Pfizer claims the research indicated the lower dose was safe and effective in clinical studies, including children. Still, no specifics on the efficacy of the vaccinations in children's clinical trials have been made public, according to a report published in ABC News.
Separate vaccination studies for toddlers and preschoolers are now underway, with findings due before the end of the year. In early 2022, a Pfizer vaccine for children under the age of five is anticipated to be available.
FDA and CDC Must Agree To Administer COVID-19 Inoculation Among Kids
Before any vaccinations are given to children, the US Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must confirm that the pediatric COVID vaccinations are safe and effective. Later this month and the first week of November, key meetings with independent advisors to those agencies are planned.
In a published article in NBC Chicago, the federal government bought 65 million pediatric two-shot doses from Pfizer in anticipation of the FDA and CDC approving the vaccine for children. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 70 percent of vaccination providers for children are registered to give COVID injections.
Whether parents will accept the vaccinations for their children is still up in the air, and it may rely on the clinical trial's results, which are expected to be published in the coming weeks. According to a September survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, roughly a third of parents with children aged 5 to 11 were ready to vaccinate their children right immediately, while another third preferred to "wait and see." Since July, the data showed a modest increase in vaccination acceptability among parents of elementary-school-aged children.
Related Article: Education Secretary Encourages State Governors to Mandate Eligible Students To Get Vaccinated
