The COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized and it is now being used in some countries like the U.S., U.K, Australia and it has been planned that during the first phase, health care workers are going to be vaccinated, then the elderly and then youngsters. Amid all these talks, one group is absent, it includes children.
So far, the vaccine is allowed only for adults and older teens but not children. Testing is only now getting started with children. Although, research is being carried out it is being said that the vaccine will be ready for children not before next year.
Trials of the two leading vaccines have had shown some positive results. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorizations for both in mid-December, but only for use in adults and older teens. It authorized Moderna’s vaccine for ages 18 and over on Dec. 18, a week after authorizing Pfizer’s vaccine for ages 16 and older. Vaccinations were already underway in the U.K., and Canada had authorized the Pfizer vaccine for the same age range. But clinical trials involving children are only just getting started. Pfizer, working with Germany’s BioNTech, expanded its COVID-19 vaccine testing to children ages 12 and older only in October. Moderna announced on Dec. 10 that it had just started trials with children ages 12-17. The vaccine’s efficacy and safety are still undergoing evaluation process for each age group, and testing hasn’t started for infants, toddlers, or kids in the U.S. Pfizer’s vaccine is being tested in adolescents with a two-dose series, three weeks apart, just like in adults. Moderna also plans to use its adult schedule – two doses four weeks apart – in a trial with 3,000 adolescents.
Positive outcomes in adult studies are reassuring and suggest it is safe to proceed on testing kids. It is being observed that children usually don’t get very sick from COVID-19 but they can spread the virus to others, said Dr. Robert Frenck, who is the lead researcher for Pfizer’s study in kids.
So far, no serious safety concerns have been identified with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, but the trials are still in the early stages for children. Several other vaccines are also under development around the world, and a few drugmakers have started trials with younger children in other countries. Children tend to have stronger immune systems than adults, and they may have stronger temporary reactions to the vaccine. That could mean more pain and swelling at the injection site for a few days and possibly a fever. These side effects are common with vaccines.
by: Abeer Arshad
Tags: COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna’s vaccine, Pfizer for Children, Vaccines Positive Outcomes, Vaccines Side effects, Vaccines Trials
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