The Good News Is Coming Babies In The US Can Now Be Vaccinated By The COVID-19 Vaccine

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Now the COVID-19 vaccine can not only be enjoyed by Americans who are old. The country's youngest citizens will also be able to gain access to a coronavirus vaccine starting next week.

Quoted from the Washington Post, Friday, June 17, federal regulators have authorized vaccines for children starting from the age of 6 months.

For many parents and pediatricians, the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Moderna and Pfizer or BioNTech is exciting news.

The FDA unanimously recommended and gave the green light for the use of the vaccine for the last eligible age group for a shot of protection against the virus.

"Many parents, caregivers, and doctors have been waiting for vaccines for younger children and this action will help protect those under 6 months of age," FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said in a statement.

"As we have seen with older age groups, we hope that vaccines for younger children will provide protection from the most severe COVID-19 outcomes, such as hospitalization and death," they continued.

The Moderna vaccine is for children aged 6 months to 5 years. It consists of two doses of 25 micrograms each - a quarter of the adult dose - given four weeks apart. In studies, it was shown to be 51 percent effective in preventing disease in children aged 6 months to 2 years and 37 percent effective in children aged 2 to 5 years.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is for children 6 months to 4 years of age, is three injections of 3 micrograms each, one-tenth of the adult dose. The first two doses are given three weeks apart, and the third at least two months later.

United States health experts support the use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6-17, while reviewing use for children under 5 years of age.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory on Tuesday unanimously recommended that the agency allow Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for children and teens ages 6 to 17.

About 77 million people in the United States have received at least two doses of the Moderna vaccine, which has long been available to people 18 years of age and older.

An external expert committee is scheduled to consider Moderna injections for children under 6 years, as well as Pfizer and BioNTech COVID vaccines for children under 5 years, the youngest 6 months, on Wednesday.

There is unlikely to be significant immediate demand for the Moderna vaccine for children aged 6 to 17 years. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was passed for children ages 5 to 11 in October, and approval for teens preceded it by several months.