Pfizer said Monday its COVID vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 – and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group in the very near future – which is a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters.

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is already available for ages 12 and above; however, with kids back in school and the highly-contagious delta variant causing a huge increase in pediatric infections, huge numbers of parents are anxiously awaiting vaccinations for their younger children.  For elementary school-aged kids, Pfizer tested a lower dose, equivalent to one-third of the amount that’s in each shot given now.  After their second dose, children between the ages of five and eleven developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels just as strong as the teenagers and young adults

FDA chief Dr. Peter Marks states once Pfizer turns over study results, his agency will evaluate the data “hopefully in a matter of weeks” – to decide if the shots are safe and effective enough for younger children.

A second U.S. vaccine maker, Moderna is also studying its shots in elementary school-aged children.  Both Pfizer and Moderna are studying even younger ages as well – all the way down to six-month-olds.  Results are expected later in the year.

(WHNT News 19 Huntsville/www.whnt.com)