US CDC approves Covid-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers

WASHINGTON • United States health officials have approved Covid-19 vaccines for infants and toddlers, the last remaining age group that had until now not been eligible for inoculation.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices on Saturday voted 12-0 to recommend Pfizer's three-dose vaccine for children aged six months to four years.

They also voted 12-0 to recommend Moderna's two-dose vaccine for children six months to five years.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendations. The shots will be available at thousands of paediatric practices, pharmacies and other locations this week, the agency said.

US President Joe Biden said the decision marked a "monumental step forward in the nation's fight against the virus".

"These vaccines are safe, highly effective, and will give parents the peace of mind of knowing their child is protected from the worst outcomes of Covid-19," Mr Biden said in a statement.

The CDC endorsement is welcome news to the parents and caregivers who have been eager to give their children some form of protection against the coronavirus since the vaccines first became available over a year and a half ago.

But the rate of vaccination for older children suggests that uptake is likely to be limited for toddlers.

Only 29 per cent of American children aged five to 11 have been fully vaccinated, according to CDC data, suggesting that some parents are hesitant or less motivated to inoculate their children.

During the meeting, CDC epidemic intelligence service officer Sara Oliver said the agency is trying to tackle this issue by making sure that information on the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines is available for parents.

For example, the agency will host clinician education calls and parent webinars as well as publish educational materials on social media.

"Making sure that parents feel that they have the appropriate information to make an informed decision about this is critically important," Dr Oliver said.

Children are less likely than adults to experience the worst outcomes of Covid-19, and those aged under five account for about 440 of more than one million related US deaths.

Still, health officials warn, the rate of hospitalisation and death for children, particularly during the Omicron wave, has been concerning.

Data presented in Saturday's meeting showed that since the pandemic began, there have been over two million Covid-19 cases, 20,000 hospitalisations and 200 deaths among US children aged six months to four years.

"We really want to get these children vaccinated, because we know vaccinations prevent infection, but to a greater extent prevent severe disease," Dr Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser, said at a Senate hearing last Thursday.

Moderna's two-dose vaccine was 51 per cent effective at preventing cases of Covid-19 for those under two years old and 37 per cent effective for those aged two to five, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

Common side effects of Moderna's shot include pain, injection site swelling and fever. For Pfizer's, the most common side effects include irritability, decreased appetite and fever.

The US government has already secured a supply of 10 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna to vaccinate children aged under five.

The Straits Times has asked the Ministry of Health if Singapore will follow suit in approving the shots for younger children.

Singapore approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine on Dec 14, 2020, three days after the FDA authorised its emergency use in the United States.

On Dec 10 last year, Singapore extended the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged between five and 11 years, after the US authorised the vaccine for emergency use in children of the same age group on Oct 29.

BLOOMBERG