Specifically, an advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday Thursday recommended a third, booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine be given to children ages 5 to 11 at least five months after the second dose.
Protection from the first two doses against covovovirus is waning
Committee members reviewed CDC data showing that protection from the first two doses begins to wane over time and that booster doses in older age groups improve protection against serious illness and hospitalization.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday approved a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in this age group, at a time when covid-19 cases are again on the rise in the country.
CDC Director Rochelle Walenski said in a statement that she "endorses" the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) proposal "to expand the administration of booster doses. Children aged 5 to 11 years should receive a booster dose at least five months after completing the baseline vaccine cycle."
"As more than 18 million doses have been given in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected," Walenski said.
Booster dose in children provides strong protection against Omicron
At the ACIP meeting, Pfizer pointed out that data show that a third dose of its covid-19 vaccine induces a strong immune response against the Omicron variant strain in healthy children aged 5 to 11 years.
At the same time, the CDC presented data showing that the incidence of cardiac inflammation associated with the Pfizer/BioNTech anti-covid-19 vaccine was much lower in boys 5-11 years of age than in children 5-11 years of age,than in adolescents and young men
Just over 8 million children in the US aged 5 to 11 years - 29% of the total - are considered fully vaccinated against covid-19 with the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine. The vaccine has not yet been approved for use in children under 5 years of age.
Source: iefimerida.gr
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