When children under the age of 5 are finally able to get the COVID vaccine

After a seemingly endless wait, two COVID vaccines were finally approved for children under the age of five. The FDA’s advisory board resolved on Wednesday to grant an emergency use authorization for both Pfizer and Modana vaccines for children over 6 months of age.

What’s next, and when can my kids get their shots?

There are a few more regulatory steps before the vaccine becomes available. The CDC Advisory Board must meet and determine recommendations for new vaccines. After FDA approval and CDC recommendations are implemented, the provider can begin vaccination. If all goes well, it could be early next week.

Vaccine regiments depend on the type of vaccine. The two doses of the modelna vaccine are intended to be given at 4-week intervals, while the three doses of Pfizer vaccine are three weeks between the first and second doses and between the second and third doses. There is a delay of 8 weeks.

The vaccine under study was not given at the same time as the other pediatric vaccines. When the COVID vaccine was first recommended for adults, there should have been a two-week waiting period before obtaining the COVID vaccine and other vaccines. The rule was later deleted. It is not yet known if the CDC says that these youth vaccines require a similar waiting period.

How well does the vaccine work?

Pfizer’s vaccine is a three-dose regimen. Studies have shown that the second dose was only 28% effective against symptomatic treatment, while the third dose jumped to 80%. However, this final analysis is based on only a small amount of data, and some regulators are skeptical of that number.

The modelna double dose vaccine was 51% effective against symptomatic COVID in children younger than 2 years and 37% effective in children 2-5 years.

Which vaccine is suitable for children under 5 years old?

Experts warn Vaccine efficacy figures cannot be compared directly. The two vaccines were tested at different times in the pandemic, and each number was produced by a different type of analysis. It is possible that the Moderna vaccine will actually work well in real situations, but for some time it will not be known. If you’re trying to decide between the two, Moderna’s two-dose regimen is certainly easier to schedule and your child will be protected much sooner.

Booster recommendations haven’t been set yet, but it’s safe to assume that you’ll need a booster at some point.

What are the concerns of experts?

First, there is the fact that COVID tends to be milder in children than in adults. This means that some parents and experts are wondering how beneficial the vaccine is. However, half of children hospitalized with COVID have no underlying illness, and at Omicron we know that infants in this age group faced the same risk of severe symptoms as older children.

The side effects of these vaccines are similar to other pediatric vaccines. Sensitivity, crying, and sometimes fever.

You’ll learn more when the CDC announces its final recommendations, but is it based on what you currently know? If you have a child under the age of 5, you can get the vaccine.