ST. LOUIS — Parents, this could be the news you’ve been anticipating.
We could see an approval for a COVID-19 vaccine for kids as soon as this week.
The FDA is meeting virtually Tuesday morning to decide whether or not Pfizer’s COVID vaccine is safe for kids ages 5-11.
The FDA's independent vaccine advisory board will meet at 8:30 a.m. Click here to see how you can stream the meeting live.
The company said its data is promising.
Pfizer released data on its recent study for kids and said its vaccine is 90.7% effective against symptomatic disease in the 5-11 age group.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reported this past week that it saw almost 118,000 new child COVID cases. This number is actually down from the peak of 252,000 during the week of Sept. 2.
If the FDA authorizes the Pfizer vaccine for use in kids 5-11, the issue goes to the CDC advisory group. That meeting is set for Nov. 2 and 3. Afterward, the CDC director must sign the authorization.
The nation’s other leading mRNA vaccine, Moderna, is still seeking approval to give its shot to kids.
Monday, Moderna said its COVID-19 vaccine is working in kids ages 6-11.
Its new study included 5,000 kids and gave them a full series of 50 microgram doses. That’s half the dosage adults receive when they get the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Moderna said the kids' antibody response kicked in one month after the second dose.
The company did report some side effects including fatigue, headache and fever. But the company’s report says the side effects were mostly mild to moderate in patients.
Moderna plans to submit its results to the FDA soon.
Right now, Moderna is only authorized by the FDA for emergency use in people over the age of 18.
Back in June, the company applied for approval to give shots to kids ages 12 through 17. That application is still pending.