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The CDC's advisory committee on vaccines has recommended the Pfizer COVID vaccine for all individuals aged 12 and up in a unanimous 14-0 vote. This follows the FDA’s Monday decision to expand the vaccine’s authorization for this age group. Recent studies show that the vaccine's safety and efficacy in this demographic are comparable to that of young adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also endorsed vaccinating children in this age group.
While the FDA’s approval permitted these teens to receive the vaccine, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation ensures that insurance providers must now cover the costs. ACIP's influence also extends to other recommendations, including the national vaccine schedules for both children and adults. Many vaccination clinics and pediatricians will begin offering the vaccine right away, so be sure to contact your child's healthcare provider or local vaccination clinic for details on availability.
The CDC now suggests that COVID-19 vaccines can be administered alongside other vaccines, allowing adolescents and adults to receive their COVID shot along with others such as the HPV and meningitis vaccines, which are recommended for teens. Previously, the CDC advised waiting 14 days before or after any other vaccine to get the COVID shot, although this precaution was not based on any known risks but on extra caution. After observing the safe administration of vaccines to millions of people—116 million adults and 1.3 million 16- and 17-year-olds are now fully vaccinated—the CDC has lifted the waiting period from its guidelines.
What did the research reveal?
The extended authorization is based on a study involving over 2,000 adolescents aged 12 to 15, with half receiving the vaccine and the other half the placebo. The placebo group saw 16 cases of COVID-19, while the vaccine group saw none, resulting in an efficacy rate of 100%. (Although real-world effectiveness might be lower, this is still an impressive outcome.)
An additional analysis compared 190 vaccinated individuals aged 12 to 15 with 170 people aged 16 to 25. The younger group showed an immune response comparable to their older counterparts.
Although children face lower risks of severe illness or death from COVID-19, they are more vulnerable to a serious inflammatory condition called MIS-C, which can be triggered by a COVID infection. Children may also suffer from long COVID and are capable of transmitting the virus to others. Vaccinating kids will protect them and the adults they interact with, and will help create safer environments in schools and other activities. Once most children are vaccinated and case numbers decrease, mask mandates and social distancing in schools could become unnecessary.
Is the children’s vaccine different from the adult version?
No, it's the same vaccine at the same dosage, administered on the same schedule (two doses, three weeks apart). This means that vaccine clinics don’t need to make any major adjustments for 12-year-olds compared to 16-year-olds or even 65-year-olds, so the rollout should be fairly straightforward.
During a press briefing, FDA officials mentioned that state licensing boards sometimes set minimum age requirements for specific professionals, so just because a vaccine is authorized for a certain age group, it doesn’t guarantee that all providers can administer it. Be sure to check with your local vaccine clinic to find out if they have age restrictions. If an adult provider can’t administer the vaccine to your child in your state, a pediatric provider will be able to.
When will the vaccine be available for younger children?
Studies are still ongoing for younger children. The immunobridging method, which compares children’s immune responses to those of adults, has been shown to be effective for 12-to-15-year-olds, but more detailed safety studies will be required for younger children. The optimal dose and schedule for younger children may also differ from those recommended for adults.
Pfizer is currently leading the way with trials for children and has announced that they expect to apply for authorization for younger children in September, with potential approval for infants in November.
