CDC gives green light to vaccination in infants 4:31
(CNN) --
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday authorized the emergency use of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for young children.
Vaccine advisers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted unanimously this Saturday in favor of vaccinating babies and other children as young as 6 months with the covid-19 vaccine.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, gave the plan a thumbs up, clearing the way for the vaccines to be administered as soon as next week.
According to a survey in April, parents may be reluctant to receive them when they become available.
Only 18% of parents of children under 5 years old said they would vaccinate their children against Covid-19 as soon as the vaccine became available, according to an April survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation Vaccine Monitor.
The CDC recommends vaccines against covid-19 for children from 6 months
Nearly 40% of respondents said they would "wait and see" before vaccinating their young children, 11% said they would vaccinate their children only if necessary, and 27% said they would "definitely not" vaccinate their children against covid-19.
Even parents who are willing to vaccinate probably have doubts.
How confident should they be in the FDA's decision?
When will vaccines for young children be available and how will families access them?
Which vaccine is better, Pfizer's or Moderna's?
If my child has already had covid-19, should he continue to be vaccinated?
And if my child turns 5 soon, should I wait?
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I spoke with Dr. Leana Wen, a CNN medical analyst, emergency room physician, and professor of health policy and management at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health.
She is also the author of "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health" and a mother of two children under the age of 5.
The following conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
CNN:
How do you feel about the FDA decision?
Dr. Leana Wen
: I am excited and very relieved.
A year and a half has passed since adults began receiving the covid-19 vaccine.
There are some 17 million children who still cannot be vaccinated, and the FDA authorization was a huge hurdle to overcome.
Now that the CDC has also recommended both vaccines, I am looking forward to my young children—ages 2 and almost 5—receiving the same exceptional protection that my husband and I have.
The FDA and its outside advisors underwent a rigorous process and conducted independent analyzes of the data submitted by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
They found that three doses of the Pfizer vaccine and two doses of the Moderna vaccine were safe and produced a strong immune response, on par with the antibody response seen in young adults.
They also found that both vaccines reduced symptomatic infection in this younger age group.
I am reassured by the thorough, careful, and deliberate process that this regulatory agency has gone through, and when the CDC gives the go-ahead, as I hope it will, I will be calling my pediatrician to have both of my children vaccinated.
CNN:
When do you think vaccines will be available for children under 5, and how should parents and caregivers access them?
Wen: Pending the CDC's decision, which came this Saturday, states have already been able to order the vaccines, which means some doctors' offices, community health centers, health departments and pharmacies may have them in stock and ready to administer them next week.
The first place I would encourage anxious parents to consult is their pediatrician.
Parents are used to vaccinating their children there, and the pediatrician will know when and if they plan to administer the covid-19 vaccine.
If they are not planning to administer the vaccine, they will be able to recommend other trusted places in the community.
You can also contact your local pharmacies, although keep in mind that many of them are not prepared to vaccinate young children.
Your city or county health department and state health department may also have resources, as well as children's hospitals in your area.
CNN
: How will parents choose between Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for their children?
Wen
: Both vaccines are safe and effective.
Both vaccines induce strong levels of antibodies, which correlate with protection against severe disease in older age groups.
Preliminary results indicate that Pfizer's three-dose vaccine is more effective in preventing symptomatic infection—although these are early studies—and both vaccines induce strong levels of antibodies, which correlate with protection against severe disease in the older age groups.
These children lost their young parents to covid-19.
This is what they want other kids (and adults) to know
I think there will be a variety of parent preferences here.
There are some parents who want to vaccinate their children as soon as possible.
In that case, the two-dose Moderna vaccine may be preferable, because the second dose is given four weeks after the first, and two weeks after that, your child will be considered fully vaccinated.
If a child starts the series next week, she could be fully vaccinated by mid-August and in time for the next school year.
Other parents may want their children to have the highest level of protection possible, even if it takes more time.
Or they may feel more comfortable with Pfizer because it has been given to children ages 5 to 11 for months.
Pfizer's three-dose vaccine definitely takes longer.
The first two doses are given three weeks apart, and the third is given two months after the second.
Therefore, it would be necessary to wait until at least mid-September for a child to be fully vaccinated with Pfizer, even if he receives the first dose next week.
The dose of Pfizer's vaccine is also lower than Moderna's, which some parents might also prefer, although there doesn't seem to be a difference in the degree of possible side effects — such as fever, fatigue and irritability — associated with the different vaccines. dose.
Other parents may simply want to give their children what they have access to first.
I think these are all reasonable decisions, since the CDC recommends both vaccines equally.
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2:07
CNN
: What about children who have already had covid-19?
Should they continue to be vaccinated?
Wen
: Yes. Vaccination after recovery from infection provides longer-lasting protection than recovery alone.
I hope the CDC will address the issue of how long children should wait to get vaccinated after recovering from the coronavirus at their meeting.
The CDC has made it clear that children who have had covid-19 should continue to be vaccinated.
CNN:
Should kids turning 5 wait to get the higher dose or get vaccinated now?
Wen
: No, they shouldn't wait.
The CDC is following the guidance they previously used for the 5-11 age group, which is that 11-year-olds—and in this case, 4-year-olds—shouldn't wait.
You have to start the vaccination process now, and then, when the child is 5 years old, she can receive the highest dose.
CNN:
What if parents aren't sure about the vaccine and want to wait and see?
Wen
: I think all parents want the best for their children.
My best advice is to talk to your pediatrician, who you trust for other aspects of your child's health guidance.
Personally, I feel very reassured by the thorough and careful process carried out by our federal regulatory agencies and I can't wait to give my children a safe vaccine that will help protect them from the coronavirus.
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