Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 14, 2021 News
Kaieteur News – On Wednesday, the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) advisory committee endorsed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use on children ages 12 to 15.
This comes after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Monday that it has amended the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, catering for that age group. The FDA had also amended the EUA in December 2020, where it allowed for individuals 16 years and older to receive their jab of the vaccine.
The CDC’s Director, Rochelle Walensky, during her speech said that following the endorsement by the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices, the CDC is also now recommending the use of the vaccine for individuals in that age group. “CDC now recommends that this vaccine be used among this population and providers may begin vaccinating them right away,” she noted.
Furthermore, she posited that though most children – when infected with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms (are asymptomatic), some also get severely ill, to the point where hospitalisation is required. She added that there have been rare and tragic cases where children died from the virus and its effects, which includes multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, also referred to as “MIS-C.”
With children ages 12 to 15 now set to receive the jab, Walensky was keen to note that it is another important step to getting out of the COVID-19 pandemic and closer to normalcy.
“For vaccination to do its job, we must do our critical part. That means vaccinating as many people as possible who are eligible. This official CDC action opens vaccination to approximately 17 million adolescents in the United States and strengthens our nation’s efforts to protect even more people from the effects of COVID-19. Getting adolescents vaccinated means their faster return to social activities and can provide parents and caregivers peace of mind knowing their family is protected,” she affirmed.
The Director also indicated that while some parents have already made plans for their adolescents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, understandably, some parents are awaiting more information before making such a step. “I encourage parents with questions to talk to your child’s healthcare provider or your family doctor to learn more about the vaccine and if your adolescent is behind on routinely recommended vaccines due to the pandemic or for other reasons, now would be a good time to work with your child’s nurse or doctor to make sure they get caught up,” she advised.
Nevertheless, the FDA has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has met the statutory criteria to amend the EUA and that the known and potential benefits in individuals 12 years of age and older outweigh the known and potential risks, which supports the vaccine’s use in this population.
It said that the safety data to support such includes 2,260 participants “ages 12 through 15 years old (being) enrolled in an on-going randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial in the United States.” Of that figure, 1,131 of the participants received the vaccine and 1,129 received a saline placebo.
At least two months following their receipt of the second dose, more than half of the participants were placed under scrutiny for safety.
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