The latest update on the COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 12 points to a winter administration. The world has been waiting patiently to get back to normal, and a big part of that is going to rely on children receiving the vaccine. This has been a growing concern with the Delta variant going around, which has been affecting children and the unvaccinated population. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is only available for those who are over the age of 12 years old, and this can be worrying for a lot of parents.
With school starting in September, and masks being made optional by a lot of states, parents may be eager to get their children protected against the virus, and we have the latest update on when they can expect that to be.
According to WFAA and Veuer, officials are stating that the vaccine for younger children may be made available by early to mid-winter. This would be for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, and it may bring a sigh of relief to a lot of parents out there who are just waiting to get their children vaccinated to feel a little more at ease with resuming normal activities.
An official from the FDA has said that the agency is expected to give emergency use authorization to the vaccines by early and mid-winter, and they expect to give it full approval shortly after that. The official also explained how the agency gets to the point of approval and authorization. For the adult vaccine, they used 2 months of data from clinical trials in order to issue the emergency authorization. They will use 4 to 6 months of data when it comes to the vaccine for children under the age of 12 years old.
This could explain why it seems like it is taking a long time for this vaccine to get in the arms of younger children, but it can be reassuring that all safety measures and testing are being taken. Pfizer and Moderna, two of the largest vaccine manufacturers have already been working on their clinical trials in children, and they have stated that they expect to have data ready for review by the fall. The world is starting to look a little bit more normal, and no one may be more grateful than children. The lives of children have been disrupted throughout this pandemic, and it has affected almost every aspect of their lives and they deserve a bit of normal.