Introduction:
The ACIP (advisory committee on immunization practices’) announced that all children between the age of six months to five years are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Hence, this makes additional children older than six months eligible for vaccination. Caregivers can get their children vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines and provide protection against the deadly COVID-19 vaccine.
These COVID-19 vaccines have undergone intense safety monitoring before being introduced into the market for children. After taking the vaccine, if any side effects are seen in children, the caregivers can share the details with the CDC (center for disease control and prevention).
These pediatric vaccines were distributed across various parts of the world to help fight the COVID-19 virus. The CDC also recommends a booster dose for children five years of age or older.
Which COVID-19 Vaccines Can Be Used for Children?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Moderna vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children six months or older.
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The EUA (emergency use authorization) has been amended by the FDA to use the Moderna vaccine in individuals six months to 17 years of age. Initially, the Moderna vaccine was used in individuals 18 years of age or older.
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Similarly, the EUA (emergency use authorization) was amended by the FDA to use the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be used for children from six months to four years of age. Earlier the vaccine had been authorized for use in children five years or older.
What Were the Precautions Taken Before Introducing These Vaccines to Children?
The safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of these vaccines were checked comprehensively by the FDA before introducing them to the younger population. The FDA emphasized that the benefits of the vaccination outweigh the known risks in the pediatric population. Before the introduction of the vaccine to the younger population, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, the FDA’s independent body, voted in support of the introduction of these vaccines. The caregivers and clinicians were waiting for a vaccine for children.
What Is the Dose of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine?
It is administered as a series of two doses primarily, at an interval of one month, to children six months to 17 years of age. In immuno-compromised patients, a third primary dose one month after the second dose should be administered.
What Is the Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine?
It is given as a primary series of three doses. The first two doses are taken at an interval of three weeks, and the third dose is administered eight weeks after the second dose in children six months to four years of age.
What Is the Effectiveness and Safety of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine?
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The data analyzed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine shows that the Immune responses of 230 children between the age of six to 23 months and 260 children between the age of two to five years of age who received a two-dose primary series of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine were compared to the immune responses of individuals 25 years of age who received two higher doses of the vaccine. In the FDA analyses, the immune response to the immunization of both age groups of children was comparable to the immune response of the adults.
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In children between the age group of six months to five years, safety was evaluated in around 1,700 children from six to 23 months of age who received the vaccine and 600 children who received the placebo. Out of these, around 1,100 vaccine recipients were followed for safety for two months after the second dose.
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For individuals between the age of two to five years, around 3,000 received the vaccine, and 1,000 received a placebo. Around 2,200 individuals who got vaccinated were required to follow up for two months after the second dose.
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In the clinical trials for children between the age group of six months to five years, the most commonly occurring side effects across all ages included pain, redness, and swelling at the site of injection, fever, and swelling in the underarm or tenderness of lymph nodes in the same arm in which the vaccine was injected.
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In clinical trials between the age group of six to 36 months, the most common side effects also were irritability, sleepiness, and loss of appetite. In clinical trials between the age group of 37 months to five years, the most common side effects were also fatigue, headache, muscle ache, chills, nausea, and stiffness of joints.
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Children between six to 11 years of age were evaluated in around 3,000 children who received the vaccine and around 1,000 children who received a placebo. It was reported that 98.7 % of children were safe from the infection for two months after the second dose.
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For adolescents 12 to 17 years of age, the safety was evaluated in around 2,500 participants who received the vaccine and 1,200 who received a placebo. The majority of vaccine recipients (95.6 %) had at least six months after the second dose.
What Is the Effectiveness and Safety of the Pfizer-Biontech COVID-19 Vaccine for Children?
The safety data shows in children six to 23 months of age, around 1,170 received the vaccine, and about 600 received a placebo, around 400 vaccine recipients were followed for safety for at least two months after the third dose.
Of the children between two to four years of age, around 1,800 received the vaccine, and about 900 received a placebo; 600 vaccine recipients were followed for two months following the third dose. In clinical trial participants between 6 to 23 months of age, the most commonly reported side effects were restlessness, loss of appetite, fever and pain, and tenderness at the injection site. Similar side effects were also seen in children two to four years of age, along with fever, headache, and chills.
Conclusion:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children six months and older. The Moderna vaccine is for children between the age group of six months to five years and is a two-dose series, while the Pfizer vaccine is for children between the age group of six months to four years and is a three-dose series. The side effects of pediatric vaccines may include fever, tiredness, irritability, and tenderness at the injection site.
