Students as young as first grade could be vaccinated against COVID-19 by September, White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted in an interview published by ProPublica on Thursday.
Fauci quoted clinical trials now in the US underway from vaccine developers Pfizer and Moderna to test the safety and efficacy of the doses in children. He said earlier that the Food and Drug Administration may allow vaccination for American children “by late spring and early summer.”
So far, except for a handful of mistakes, the nationwide effect of vaccines does not include children.
Based on the initial research submitted by Pfizer, the FDA approved use of the vaccine for recipients aged 16 and over. Modern se shots is allowed for ages 18 and older.
Now, Fauci said in the interview: “We are starting clinical trials in what we call age reduction, where you do a clinical trial with people 16 to 12, then 12 to 9, then 9 to 6.”
Earlier this year, federal officials encouraged families to participate in clinical trials launched by drug manufacturers for younger subjects, starting with adolescents and then later expanding to younger children.
“It’s really very important for all of us, for the entire population of America, to realize that we can not have that indication unless adolescents from 12 to 18 years of age decide to participate,” said Dr. Moncef Slaoui, head of the Trump administration’s vaccination effort. , said at a press conference in January.
Spokesmen for both vaccine developers have confirmed the estimated timelines for their trials in adolescents to CBS News, which was first reported by ProPublica. Pfizer expects data for their doses in 12- to 15-year-olds by ‘the early part of 2021’, while Moderna says the data in 12- to 17-year-old subjects will be around ‘mid-year 2021’.
Fauci’s comments come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will announce new guidelines on Friday for the safer reopening of K-12 schools.
The CDC’s guidance for schools is expected to reflect many of the mitigation recommendations already set out by the agency, such as ensuring that teachers and students wear masks, maintain proper social distance and practice good “hand hygiene”. Guidelines for the implementation of a strong contact detection program and the isolation and quarantine work are also expected to be included.
The CDC cited classroom research that could reopen or remain open through the pandemic last year, with few cases of COVID-19 and most students wearing masks.
Although public health experts say vaccines are not needed to hold personal lessons, the CDC last week acknowledged that vaccinations could help schools return to some of the school activities – such as indoor sports or competitions – linked to outbreaks.
Children are usually considered to have a lower risk of COVID-19 than adults, but they can still catch it and spread it to others. Many children experience only mild symptoms or no symptoms, but some have become seriously ill or developed long-term health problems. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there were more than 2.9 million cases of COVID-19 in children and at least 227 deaths.
“With the vaccination of two vaccines under emergency permits and more vaccination options expected to be available in the coming months, there is a lot of hope on hand,” CDC officials wrote last month.
The agency has already updated several other parts of its COVID-19 lead this week, including a recommendation Wednesday to wear a patch over a disposable mask and now allow some fully vaccinated Americans to skip quarantine requirements. .