NEW YORK (AP) – When Can Kids Get COVID-19 Vaccines?
It depends on the age of the child, but some teens can get up and roll up their sleeves for too long.
The Pfizer vaccine is already approved for use from the age of 16. That means some high school students could get in line for those injections when they qualify in their area, either because of a medical condition or as availability progresses.
Pfizer and Moderna have both completed enrollment in studies involving children 12 and older and expect to release the data in the summer. If regulators release the results, younger teens could also be vaccinated as soon as supplies allow. The Moderna vaccine is currently approved for people 18 and older.
Researchers started with older children because they tend to respond the most to vaccines in adults. Testing even younger groups is more complex, as they may need a different dose or have different responses.
“Children aren’t just little adults,” said pediatrician Dr. James Campbell from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “The younger you get, the greater the chance that things can be done differently.”
Children develop serious illness or die from COVID-19 much less than adults, but can still spread the virus.
“There’s no question: we want to immunize children,” said Drexel University pediatrics professor Dr. Sarah Long.
Pfizer and Moderna expect to start studies later this year in children aged 11 and under.
“It is unlikely that we can get community protection without immunizing children,” Long added. “This is the key to getting everything back to normal.”
The AP answers your questions about the corona virus in this series. Submit them to: [email protected].
Read previous viral questions:
How would COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers adapt to variants?
How do we know if the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?
How do experts track variants of the coronavirus?
Copyright © 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.