Students as young as first grade could potentially be vaccinated against COVID-19 in September, White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, in an interview published by ProPublica on Thursday.
Fauci cited clinical trials now in the US from vaccine developers Pfizer and Moderna to test the safety and efficacy of the doses in children. He had previously said the Food and Drug Administration would allow vaccinations on American children “by the time we get to the late spring and early summer.”
Until now, except for a handful of mistakes, the nationwide rollout of vaccines does not affect children.
Based on the initial research submitted by Pfizer, the FDA Authorized Use of that vaccine for recipients aged 16 years and older. Moderna’s shots are authorized for children 18 years and older.
Now, Fauci said in the interview, “We are in the process of starting clinical trials in what we call age de-escalation, where you do a clinical trial on people 16 to 12, then 12 to 9, then 9 to 6.”
Earlier this year, federal officials encouraged families to participate in clinical trials launched by the drug manufacturers for younger subjects, which will start with adolescents and later expand to include younger children.
“It’s really, really important for all of us, for the entire population in America, to realize that we can’t have that indication unless adolescents 12 to 18 years old decide to participate,” says Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of the Trump administration’s vaccination effort. , said at a press conference in January.
Spokespersons for both vaccine developers confirmed to CBS News the estimated timelines for their studies in adolescents, which were first reported by ProPublica. Pfizer expects data for their doses in 12- to 15-year-olds by “the start of 2021,” while Moderna says data from 12- to 17-year-old subjects will be in by “mid-year 2021.”
Fauci’s comments come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will release new guidelines Friday for the safer reopening of K-12 schools.
The CDC’s guidelines for schools are expected to reflect many of the mitigation recommendations already outlined by the agency, such as ensuring that teachers and students wear masks, maintain good social distance and practice good “hand hygiene”. Guidelines for implementing a strong contact tracing program and for isolation and quarantine are also expected.
The CDC has cited research of classrooms that could reopen or remain open last year due to the pandemic with some cases of COVID-19, and most students reported wearing masks.
While public health experts have said vaccines aren’t necessary to deliver in-person classes, last week the CDC acknowledged that immunizations could help schools return to some of the school activities – such as indoor sports or competitions – associated with outbreaks.
It is generally believed that children are at a lower risk for COVID-19 than adults, but they can still catch it and spread it to others. Many children experience only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, but some have become seriously ill or have developed long-term health problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that there have been more than 2.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in children and at least 227 deaths.
“With 2 vaccines now being distributed under Emergency Use Authorizations and more vaccine options expected to be available in the coming months, there is a lot of hope on the horizon,” the CDC’s top officials wrote last month.
The agency has already updated several other parts of its COVID-19 guideline this week, including a recommendation Wednesday to wear a cloth mask over a disposable and now leave some fully vaccinated Americans with quarantine requirements.