In March, COVID-19 vaccines may begin to be given to 6-month-old children in the United States

On Feb. 1, Pfizer asked the US to allow ultra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 years of age, potentially opening up the possibility for the smallest Americans to start getting shots as early as March. Wise App or PayPal (+ taxes).

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The Food and Drug Administration took the extraordinary step of urging Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned.

The country's 19 million children under the age of 5 are the only group not yet eligible for coronavirus vaccinations. Many parents are pushing for more vaccinations for toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the wave of omicrons sent a record number of children to hospitals.

If the FDA agrees, Pfizer vaccines, containing only one-tenth the adult dose, could be given to children as young as 6 months of age.

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The open question is how many vaccines babies will need. Pfizer is testing three shots after two ultra-low doses were found to be strong enough for infants but not for preschoolers. Final data from the study is not expected until the end of March.

This means that the FDA may consider allowing two vaccines now, and a third vaccine may be approved later if research confirms its effectiveness.

The agency's decision could be made within a few weeks, but that's not the only hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also needs to sign off.

The Biden administration has tried to expedite the approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children, arguing that vaccinations are critical to reopening schools and day care centers and keeping them running, as well as relieving parents of childcare responsibilities so parents can return to work. .

However, vaccination rates among children were lower than in other age groups. Only 20% of children aged 5 to 11 and just over half of children aged 12 to 17 were fully vaccinated in the past week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nearly three-quarters of adults are fully vaccinated.

While young children are much less likely to become seriously ill with coronavirus than adults, it can happen, and the number of cases of COVID-19 among children is now higher than at any other time in the pandemic.

"What we're seeing right now is still a lot of hospitalizations and, unfortunately, a few deaths in this age group," said Dr. Sean O'Leary of the University of Colorado, who sits on the AAP's infectious disease committee. If the FDA approves vaccinations for these children, "it will be very important because all these hospitalizations and deaths are, in fact, preventable."

For children under 5 years of age, the Pfizer study gives two injections three weeks apart, followed by a third dose two months later. The company is testing to see if children produce antibody levels similar to those known to protect teenagers and young adults.

In December, Pfizer announced that the antibody response in children aged 2 to 4 was too low. It is not clear why, but it is possible that the ultra-low dose was not enough for preschoolers. Because preliminary results showed the vaccines were safe, Pfizer added a third dose to the trial in hopes of improving protection.

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O'Leary says given how well boosters work for older age groups, it's safe to assume that younger kids would benefit from a third shot."

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