Pfizer hopes FDA will endorse use of COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 2 this fall
Pfizer plans to seek approval for its COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to children ages 2 to 11 in September.
The pharmaceutical company's chairman and chief executive officer, Dr. Albert Bourla, Tuesday that he expects to request emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make younger kids eligible for the vaccine this fall.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer바카라 게임 웹사이트s vaccine by next week for children ages 12 to 15.
"I think everybody is excited for it. They want to see that there are results, but, you know, it's your children, and you want to wait and see how it plays out," parent Tom Roach said.
Tufts Medical Center's Dr. Helen Boucher said parents need to know that no shortcuts have been taken and that external experts review the data along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA before any approval is granted.
"We can be very secure that no recommendation will be made to vaccinate any one, including children, until every safety measure has been taken," Boucher said.
President Joe Biden said once approval for the next age group is granted, the administration is prepared to ship doses to 20,000 pharmacies around the country and directly to pediatricians.
"I want American parents to know that if that announcement comes, we are ready to move immediately," Biden said.
Pfizer in March released preliminary results from a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, showing there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated children compared with 18 among those given dummy shots.
Officials are hoping that extending vaccinations to children will drive down the nation's caseload even further and allow schools to reopen with minimal disruption this fall.