Buzz
After a long wait, the White House has released tentative details on when COVID vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 may be authorized. This plan hinges on final decisions by the FDA and CDC, with an expected conclusion by Nov. 3, assuming all goes smoothly. There’s currently no timeline for vaccinating younger children.
Pfizer is requesting the FDA to expand its emergency use authorization (EUA) to allow the vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old. This process involves multiple government agencies, which will follow this sequence of events:
The FDA’s vaccine advisory panel, VRBPAC, is scheduled to meet on Oct. 26 to review Pfizer’s request and vote on whether the vaccine should be authorized for children aged 5 to 11. This meeting is open to the public, and you can watch here.
If the panel votes in favor, the FDA is likely to approve the authorization soon after.
Then, the CDC’s advisory panel, ACIP, will meet to discuss who should be recommended to receive the vaccine. This meeting is public as well, and the webcast link will be shared here.
The CDC will then make its official recommendation. Stay tuned for news updates.
According to the White House, vaccination efforts will begin in the days following a final recommendation from the CDC.
When will we find out if the vaccine is safe for children?
The agencies will review safety and effectiveness data provided by Pfizer, along with any additional data that may be available. If there are any concerns about the vaccine's safety or effectiveness, we’ll hear about them during this process.
A crucial moment will occur just before the Oct. 26 meeting: The FDA typically prepares a report summarizing their interpretation of the data and posts it publicly on the VRBPAC meetings page. (Look for it to be uploaded here, near the bottom, titled something like “Briefing document - FDA.”) Major news outlets will cover this since the FDA’s take on the data is the first major indication of whether the vaccine meets standards.
As both a parent and a health reporter, I’ll be keeping an eye on that document and how it is received. If there are any concerns raised, it could mean the vaccine won't be authorized or recommended as expected. After all, the November preparations are only set in motion if the vaccine is deemed safe and effective.
By Halloween, the FDA is likely to have made their decision; they are the ones who decide whether the vaccine can be released, while the CDC determines who should receive it. If the FDA gives the green light, the CDC’s process should be fairly straightforward. However, if the FDA’s panel has concerns about the vaccine's safety or effectiveness in certain groups, the CDC may choose not to recommend it for those groups. And if the FDA gives a firm “no,” the CDC panel might not even convene.
When can I schedule a vaccine appointment for my child?
As per the White House’s plan, the federal government has already secured enough doses of the Pfizer vaccine to cover all 28 million children aged 5 to 11 in the United States.
Alongside the existing vaccination sites for adults, new vaccine clinics will be set up specifically for children. The plan outlines the following locations for these clinics:
Pediatricians’ offices
Children’s hospitals
Pharmacies
School and community clinics
Community health centers and rural health centers
Stay alert for announcements about these clinics in your area, and consider asking your child’s school or pediatrician if they plan to offer the vaccine. Unlike other vaccines, which are bought by healthcare providers, all COVID-19 vaccines are currently funded by the federal government and distributed to authorized vaccination sites. According to the White House’s plan, these sites will be able to begin administering vaccines “within days” after the final CDC recommendation, which could happen in the first week of November.
