US to Begin Pfizer Vaccinations for Children Under 5 as Early as End of This Month

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 31st of last month (local time) that COVID-19 vaccinations with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children under 5 years old could begin as early as the end of February in the United States.

According to the report, Pfizer and BioNTech plan to apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the 1st of this month for emergency use authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine (two doses) for children aged 6 months to 5 years.

If approved by the FDA, vaccinations for children aged 6 months to 5 years will be administered for the first time in the U.S. as early as the end of this month.

Vaccinations for children aged 5 and older are already underway in the United States.

WP cited multiple sources saying that the FDA requested these pharmaceutical companies to submit their applications first for data review.

Earlier, although two doses of the Pfizer vaccine were found to be safe for humans, it was observed that some younger age groups did not develop sufficient immunity, prompting these companies to test the efficacy of a third dose.

Data on the efficacy of the third dose is expected to be available only after March, but the companies are proceeding with the process to start with two doses for children under 5 years old.

An official familiar with the matter said, "For now, the plan is to proceed with two doses," adding, "Rather than waiting for the third dose data, it would be better to provide the basics to children a few months earlier."

In December last year, these companies announced that children aged 2 to 4 who received two doses of the vaccine did not develop immunity to the COVID-19 virus as much as other age groups. However, research results showed that two doses provided some immunity for infants aged 6 to 24 months.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.