Under 5s may be weeks away from Covid shots – what you need to know

Vaccine may be available to youngsters below the age of five from February, if FDA approval is granted

Virus Outbreak Kids Vaccine (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine could soon be made available to children under the age of five, with US regulators encouraging Pfizer to apply for emergency authorisation of its two-dose shot for children as young as six months old, reports say.

The vaccine would be available to youngsters below the age of five from February, if such approval is granted, The Washington Post reported on Monday, making the US one of the only countries in the world to offer the Covid-19 shot to this age group.

A source told The Post that Pfizer would be applying for the emergency authorisation as soon as Tuesday, with approval expected to be granted by the end of the month.

Pfizer previously reported that its two-dose vaccine was less effective in children under 5, and was encouraged by regulators to add a third ‘booster’ shot to the study. However, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that the FDA was now encouraging Pfizer to request approval based on the two-dose vaccine and request further authorisation once the three-vaccine data is available.

This suggests that the Pfizer vaccine could be available for under 5s a month earlier than previously expected.

When will the under-5s shot be rolled out?

Pfizer has previously said it estimates its three-dose study data for under 5s will be ready by April, or possibly as early as late March. However, the a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that the two-shot vaccine may be available for under 5s by the end of February, while the company is awaiting data on whether a booster shot is needed for this age group.

Why should children get vaccinated against coronavirus?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): “There are approximately 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old in the United States, and there have been nearly 2 million cases of Covid-19 within this age group during the pandemic.

“Covid-19 can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalised. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death.”

Although younger children in general appeared to be at a lower risk of serious illness from Covid-19, there have been 203 coronavirus deaths recorded in children under the age of 5 in the US since the beginning of the pandemic, and 603 deaths in the 5 to 12-year-old bracket.

What is in the Covid shot for children?

The Pfizer vaccine currently given to under 12s is a two-shot inoculation. According to the CDC, the jab does not contain eggs, preservatives, latex, or metals. A full list of ingredients can be found here.