With FDA approval for Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for kids aged 5-11, when can your child get their shots?

What you need to know about getting your child vaccinated against Covid-19

The Food and Drug Administration has authorised the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11, green-lighting it for 28 million American kids.

So how do you go about getting shots for your child ahead of the holiday season? Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know.

What happens next?

There is another hurdle to jump first before shots can be distributed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must first sign off on public access to the vaccine.

An advisory committee meeting is scheduled for next week to review the paediatric doses, but swift clearance is expected, allowing for public distribution almost immediately.

Is there any difference to an adult dose?

Yes, but it is just as effective at preventing severe Covid. Pfizer says that its low dose vaccine is one-third of the dosage given to adults (10mg versus 30mg for the over 12s), but is still more than 90 per cent effective at preventing asymptomatic infection.

Are there enough doses? And when can my child get theirs?

Yes. The Biden administration has already procured enough doses to vaccinate all 28 million eligible children.

The vaccine is given as a two-dose series, three weeks apart. The first 15 million shots will be ready the week after CDC approval, which means many children will be vaccinated just in time for Thanksgiving.

Both federal and state officials have said that schools will play a role in the vaccination programme. In a planning document issued by the White House, the administration says it will “work with states and local partners to make vaccination sites available at schools and other trusted community-based sites”. These will supplement pharmacies, paediatricians’ offices, and children’s hospitals.

Typical of the eagerness of many local authorities to hit the ground running in vaccinating children, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that within 24 hours of the CDC issuing guidance, the vaccine will be available to children at city-run sites, and paediatricians’ offices, pharmacies, and other sites will follow within 48 hours of the announcement.

Are there any side effects to taking the vaccine?

The company found that the shots were well tolerated by young children, and the side effects were comparable to those seen in a study of young people aged 16-25 years old.

The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children aged five through 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study

FDA scientists have noted the risk of the inflammatory heart conditions myocarditis and pericarditis but said the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh those risks.

Not only will children avoid severe cases of Covid, possible hospitalisation, and death, they will also help move the country towards the post-pandemic or endemic stage when the virus circulates in the population, but at much lower levels.

“As a mother and a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, school staff, and children have been waiting for today’s authorization. Vaccinating younger children against Covid-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, MD.

“Our comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness should help assure parents and guardians that this vaccine meets our high standards.”

Is Covid a real danger to children?

Yes. The latest figures from the American Academy of Pediatrics show that as of 21 October, 6.3 million children nationwide have tested positive for Covid since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. It is thought that the real number may be much higher.

Covid-19 has since risen to be the eighth biggest cause of death of children aged between five and 11, a CDC official told the FDA committee.

Many of the conditions that put adults particularly at risk of severe or fatal Covid – for example, obesity, respiratory issues, and neurological disorders – also apply to children.

Covid cases in children five through 11 years of age make up 39 per cent of cases in individuals younger than 18 years of age. According to the CDC, approximately 8,300 cases in children 5 through 11 years of age resulted in hospitalisation.

As of 17 October, 691 deaths from Covid have been reported in the US in individuals less than 18 years of age, with 146 deaths in the five through 11 years age group.