San Benito County health officials this week hailed the recent approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children who are 5 to 11 years old.
“As a parent and a physician, I know that parents, caregivers, school staff, and children have been waiting for today’s approval,” said Dr. George Gellert, San Benito County Health Officer. “Vaccinating younger children against Covid-19 will bring us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy. The comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the data pertaining to the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness should help assure parents and guardians that this vaccine meets high standards.”
On Nov. 2, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as five. The vaccine has previously been approved for people aged 12 and up.
This week’s approval “was based on thorough and transparent evaluation of the data that included input from independent advisory committee experts who overwhelmingly voted in favor of making the vaccine available to children in this age group,” says a press release from San Benito County.
Approval of the vaccine was determined based on these key points, the press release says:
– Effectiveness: Immune responses of children 5 through 11 years of age were comparable to those of individuals 16 through 25 years of age. In addition, the vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 in children 5 through 11.
– Safety: The vaccine’s safety was studied in approximately 3,100 children ages 5 through 11 who received the vaccine and no serious side effects have been detected in the ongoing study.
In the U.S., Covid-19 cases in children 5 through 11 years old make up 39% of cases in individuals younger than 18, the press release adds. According to the CDC, about 8,300 Covid-19 cases in children 5 through 11 years of age resulted in hospitalization.
As of Oct. 17, 691 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in the U.S. in individuals younger than 18, with 146 deaths in the 5 through 11 years age group.
During trial studies, side effects of the Pfizer vaccine were generally mild to moderate in severity and occurred within two days after vaccination, and most went away within one to two days, according to the county’s press release. The most commonly reported side effects included sore arm, injection site redness and swelling, feeling tired, headache, muscle and/or joint pain, chills, fever, nausea and decreased appetite. The FDA and the CDC have several systems in place to continually monitor Covid-19 vaccine safety and allow for the rapid detection and investigation of potential safety problems. For more information visit: vsafe.cdc.gov
To schedule a Covid-19 vaccine appointment, visit the state’s MyTurn vaccine appointment system at myturn.ca.gov or call 1-833-422-4255. Or visit a local pharmacy for appointments or walk-in availability.
