The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the vaccine's safety. The FDA on Friday authorized Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in children aged 5 to 11 years.
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In the U.S., COVID-19 cases among children aged 5 to 11 years account for 39% of children under 18 years of age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 8,300 cases of coronavirus in children between 5 and 11 years of age resulted in hospitalization.
As of 17 October, 691 deaths from the virus were reported in the U.S. in children under 18 and 146 in the 5- to 11-year-old age group, according to the FDA statement.
“As a parent and as a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, teachers, and children have been anxiously awaiting this clearance,” Janet Woodcock, acting FDA commissioner, said in a statement.
“Vaccinating young children against COVID-19 is an additional step toward a return to normalcy,” she added.
NEW: @US_FDA approves emergency authorization for Pfizer’s #COVID19 vaccine for kids 5-11 years old. Big news in the fight against #COVID19 among children. https://t.co/WpQCuWfwId
— Claudia Kelly-Bazan (@ClaudiaKellyB) October 29, 2021
A committee of independent experts on Tuesday endorsed immunizing children between the ages of 5 and 11 with Pfizer's vaccine, which in clinical trials demonstrated 90.7% efficacy in preventing symptomatic forms of COVID-19 in that age group.
Before inoculation begins, a committee of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will meet next week to give its opinion and publish its recommendations, the final step in the process.