What parents should know ahead of children’s Pfizer approval
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Biden Administration says it's prepared and ready for the go-ahead on Coronavirus vaccines for children ages five to 11 and a panel of U.S. health advisors with the FDA endorsed the shot for use in that age group. The official emergency use authorization is expected at any time.
Experts say its authorization will have a major impact on schools and the overall vaccination effort.
The White House ordered 28 million vaccines and several million kids could become fully vaccinated within the next month.
Health experts expect the vaccines could roll out by the first week of November.
Children are at lower risk of severe COVID-19 than older people, however, five to 11-year-olds still can face severe illness. There have been over 8,000 children hospitalizations reported, and close to 100 deaths.
Dr. Laura Morris, a family physician with MU Health Care, says the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, including Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
"Myocarditis is still rare there are no cases that we're seeing in the Pfizer safety studies for children ages five to 11," Morris said.
Morris says there is more risk if a child contracts COVID-19.
"There also at risk for that multi inflammatory system disorder after having COVID, called MISD," Morris said.
Children will receive a smaller dosage of the vaccine, around 1/3 of what people 12 and older receive.
"The Pfizer vaccine for an adolescent or an adult is 30 micrograms, and the dose for children ages 5-11 is 10 micrograms. The reason for the smaller dose is not children's smaller size it's actually because their immune system works much more strongly," Morris said.
Noelle Gilzow, President of a Columbia teachers association (CMNEA) says it could be the next step in unmasking in schools.
"Our recommendation regarding the masks kind of hinges around the vaccination of that younger population so I think thats good news!" Gilzow said.
Pfizer says the doses for children will come in special packaging to help medical providers avoid confusion shots with the doses for anyone 12 years old. The shots for five to 11-year-olds will come with orange caps.
Morris said she expects children with lung or heart disease or obesity could be prioritized for the shots.
