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Vaccines

COVID-19 Vaccinations Expanded to Children Under 6: Safety and Effectiveness Considerations

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The expansion of COVID-19 vaccinations to children under 6 years old, authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has been met with cautious optimism. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech have been shown to be safe, with similar side effects as in older children and adults. However, experts are urging continued safety monitoring due to the potential for rare adverse events. Despite the new authorizations, vaccination coverage in the United States is expected to remain low, with only 36% of children 5 to 11 years old receiving one dose and 29% fully vaccinated.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months old through 5 years is a two-dose regimen, while the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months old through 4 years is a three-dose regimen due to insufficient levels of protective antibodies from the two-dose regimen.
  • William Moss, a pediatrician and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center, suspects demand for COVID-19 vaccines in children under 5 years will be modest due to low vaccination coverage.
  • Approximately 91% of those over 65 years old are fully vaccinated, while only 29% of children 5 to 11 years old are fully vaccinated.
  • A CDC survey found that about one-third of U.S. parents plan to get eligible children vaccinated.
  • The effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine in preventing symptomatic infection was found to be 51% in children 6 months to 2 years old and 37% in children 2 to 5 years old.

Statistics:

  • 36% of children 5 to 11 years old have received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • 29% of children 5 to 11 years old are fully vaccinated.
  • Only 20 million U.S. children under 6 years old are eligible for the new vaccine authorizations.
  • 71% of the population over 5 years old who are eligible for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are fully vaccinated.
  • Approximately 91% of those over 65 years old are fully vaccinated.
  • A third of U.S. parents plan to get eligible children vaccinated.
  • The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months old through 5 years showed 51% effectiveness in preventing symptomatic infection in children 6 months to 2 years old.
  • The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months old through 5 years showed 37% effectiveness in preventing symptomatic infection in children 2 to 5 years old.

Sources:

  • Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • William Moss, pediatrician and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center.

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