A three-dose Covid-19 vaccine appears safe and produces strong immune response in children ages 6 months to 5 years, Pfizer says
The quest for longer-lasting Covid-19 vaccinesThe Phase 2/3 trial included 1,678 children who received a third dose during the period when the Omicron coronavirus variant dominated. Antibody levels tested one month after the third dose showed the vaccine produced a similar immune response as two doses in 16-to-25 year-olds, the companies said in a news release.
The data has not yet been peer-reviewed or published.Midtrial results found vaccine efficacy of 80.3% against symptomatic Covid-19 in this youngest age group. The companies identified 10 symptomatic cases at least seven days after the third dose. However, the efficacy rate won't be finalized until at least 21 symptomatic cases are found in the vaccine group and then compared with the number of symptomatic cases in the placebo group.The companies said three child-size doses for this youngest age group were"well-tolerated" and no new safety signals were identified. Moderna seeks emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months through 5 years"These topline safety, immunogenicity and efficacy data are encouraging, and we look forward to soon completing our submissions to regulators globally with the hope of making this vaccine available to younger children as quickly as possible, subject to regulatory authorization," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.Read MoreThe vaccines for this youngest age group are smaller than those used in older age groups. People age 12 and older receive two doses of a 30-microgram vaccine and children ages 5 to 12 receive two doses of a 10-microgram vaccine. Both age groups are eligible for booster doses.For children 6 months to 5 years, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is three 3-microgram doses. The initial two doses were given three weeks apart, and the third dose was given at least two months after their second dose.Children younger than 5 are the only age group not yet eligible for vaccination against Covid-19. The vaccine for this age group was delayed when results of a two-dose series of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine didn't provide the expected level of protection. The companies said they would amend the trial to add a third dose.Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. In February, the US Food and Drug Administration asked the companies to submit a request for emergency use authorization based on the two-dose data, but then postponed a meeting of the agency's vaccine advisory board so the third-dose data could be considered.The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has tentative meetings scheduled for June 8, 21 and 22 to discuss emergency use authorizations updates that could make younger children eligible for vaccination with the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines.Moderna submitted its vaccine data for children 6 months through 5 years of age to the FDA in late April. Moderna's submission is based on two 25-microgram doses given 28 days apart.
Please follow us on Google to support usUnited States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Clinical director discusses how COVID-19 pandemic has affected children’s mental healthMay is Mental Health Awareness Month and the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program (TCHATT) provides services for children and adolescents referred by their schools.
Read more »
AstraZeneca's Covid-19 Vaccine Gets EU Approval for Third DosesBy Jaime Llinares Taboada AstraZeneca PLC said Monday that its Covid-19 vaccine has been granted approval in the European Union as a third dose booster for...
Read more »
As COVID-19 cases rise, 60% of eligible kids in Illinois are still unvaccinatedDoctors, public health experts and community members who work on vaccine outreach say they hear a range of concerns from parents.
Read more »
Monkeypox threat doesn't rise to level of COVID-19, President Biden saysSpeaking in Tokyo a day after he said the virus was something 'to be concerned about,' Biden said, 'I just don't think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with COVID-19.'
Read more »
Monkeypox threat doesn't rise to level of COVID-19, President Biden saysSpeaking in Tokyo a day after he said the virus was something 'to be concerned about,' Biden said, 'I just don't think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with COVID-19.'
Read more »
COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5: Pfizer says 3 small doses offer strong protectionPfizer says it plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week. The 18 million tots under 5 are the only group in the U.S. not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
Read more »