COVID vaccine for children in US might not be available till November: Reports

As world leaders press forward to reopen schools, COVID vaccines for young children in the US would not be available until November, according to Associated Press. On Tuesday, Pfizer chief Albert Bourla announced that his drugmaker firm has submitted data to the US Food and Drug Administration on vaccinating children aged between 5 to 11 years against the lethal coronavirus infection. However, given the lengthy process of reviews and consultations, the shots would take at least a month to hit the inoculation centres.

According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 77 per cent of adults across America have received at least one vaccine jab. Additionally, vaccination of teens (over the age of 12 years) have received a green light from regulators along with booster shots for the elderly (above the age 65 years) and people with underlying health conditions. 

Meanwhile, speaking to the Associated Press, an official familiar with the vaccine approval process said that once Pfizer Inc. formally files for FDA approval, regulators and public health officials will review the evidence and consult with their advisory committees in public meetings to determine if shots are safe and effective enough to recommend use. This implies that the whole process would take at least till Thanksgiving, albeit given the speed of FDA, it could be available in the first week of November. Notably, Pfizer, along with its partner BioNTech have reckoned that they would soon submit data to the European Medicines Agency and other countries. 

95 per cent effective vaccine 

Jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the mRNA based BNT162b2, has been 95 per cent effective in preventing coronavirus infection, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Pfizer Chief said that expected the green light “in days, not weeks”. Furthermore, he said that if the vaccine gets approval from the federal body,  “we will be ready with our manufacturers to provide this new formulation of the vaccine.” In addendum, the Pfizer chief also predicted that life could return back to normal within one year, although he said that annual inoculations could become a norm. “I don’t think that variants will not be continuing coming," Bourla told ABC Network. 

Image: AP 

(With inputs from AP)