CDC Just Approved Pfizer Vaccine for Kids 12+ (and Everything Else You Need to Know) [Updated]
The CDC’s Vaccine Advisory Group has now recommended the Pfizer COVID vaccine for everyone 12 years and older in a 14-0 vote. This follows the FDA’s decision on Monday to renew the vaccine approval for this age group. According to recent research, the vaccine appears to be as safe and effective in this age group as it does in young people. The American Academy of Pediatrics also announced today that it recommends vaccinating children in this age group.
The difference between the two is that FDA approval allowed these teens to get the vaccine, but the CDC group’s recommendation, ACIP, means that insurance companies must cover the costs. ACIP has also traditionally influenced other activities and guidelines, such as routine vaccination schedules for children and adults. Many COVID vaccination clinics and pediatrician offices will be able to start offering the vaccine right away, so check with your child’s doctor or local clinic for a vaccine.
The CDC also recommends administering COVID vaccines at the same time as other vaccines, which allows teens and adults to get the COVID vaccine along with any other vaccines they may need, such as the HPV and meningitis vaccines recommended for teens. The CDC previously recommended not administering the COVID vaccine for 14 days before or after any other vaccine. This rule was not based on any known danger, but was “over-caution.” But after seeing so many people get the vaccine safely (116 million adults and 1.3 million 16 and 17-year-olds are currently fully vaccinated ), the CDC has removed the waiting period from its clinical considerations.
What does the research say?
The extended clearance is based on a study of over 2,000 children aged 12 to 15, half of whom received the vaccine and half received a placebo. There were 16 cases of COVID-19 in the placebo group and no cases in the vaccine group, with 100% efficacy. (In the real world, the efficiency may be lower, but this is still a great result.)
An analysis was also conducted that compared 190 people aged 12 to 15 who received the vaccine with 170 people aged 16 to 25 years. Young people had the same immune response as their slightly older peers.
While children are less at risk of death and serious complications from COVID, they are more at risk of a serious inflammatory syndrome called MIS-C, which can be triggered by COVID infection. They can also be susceptible to long-term COVID and can transmit the virus to other family members. Vaccinating children will help protect them, as well as the adults with whom they come in contact. It will also make schools and activities safer; once the majority of children are vaccinated and the number of cases declined, the need for masks and distancing in schools will disappear.
How is the vaccine for children different from the vaccine for adults?
No, this is the same vaccine at the same dose given on the same schedule (two doses three weeks apart). This means the vaccination clinic doesn’t have to do anything significantly different for 12-year-olds than for 16-year-olds or, for that matter, 65-year-olds, so deployment is likely to be straightforward. …
At a press conference, FDA officials noted that state licensing boards sometimes regulate the minimum age a particular technician can work with, so just because a vaccine is approved for a specific age group doesn’t mean every supplier can use it. Check with your local vaccination clinic to see if they have a minimum age. But if an adult health care provider cannot give your child the vaccine in your state, a pediatrician can.
When will the vaccine be available for young children?
Research for young children is still ongoing . An immunobriding approach, which compares the immune response of children with that of adults, is considered appropriate for children aged 12 to 15, but more safety research in young children is needed. The most appropriate dose and schedule for young children may also differ from those for adults.
Pfizer is the company that has gone the farthest in its trials on children, and they recently said they expect to apply for a permit for young children in September and possibly for babies in November.
This post was originally published on May 11 and was updated on May 12, 2021 to include the CDC’s vaccine recommendation vote, as well as the announcement that there is no longer a waiting period between COVID vaccines and other vaccines.