The European Medicines Agency said it had approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 to 11 and recommended Pfizer’s vaccine booster shots for those aged 12 and up. The decisions were made to provide children in Europe with additional protection against COVID-19.Dr. Marco Cavaleri, the EU regulator’s vaccines chief, said at a news conference Thursday that the Moderna vaccine for younger children will be a half-dose of what is given to older teens and adults. According to his findings, young children’s immune responses were comparable to those seen in older populations “as measured by the level of neutralizing antibodies” against the coronavirus. According to Cavaleri, the Moderna shot is also recommended for use as a booster dose in people who have already received other vaccines.
In November, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in children aged 5 and up. Cavaleri stated that data from over 400,000 children in countries including Israel and the United States showed that a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children 12 was safe and effective.”
No new safety signal was identified,” he said, adding that scientists looked for cases of heart and chest inflammation, which have previously been linked to the shot. “Those were extremely rare cases, and the vast majority of [people] recovered without medical intervention.
“Children are typically at a lower risk of severe COVID-19 infection, but they are still vulnerable in the face of high levels of transmission. Cavaleri stated that while some European countries have begun to offer a second booster dose to their elderly populations due to concerns that their immunity may fade faster, the EMA has made no such recommendation.” At this time, there is insufficient evidence to support the need for a second booster dose in the general population,” he said. COVID-After peaking in late January, the number of cases and deaths in much of Europe has decreased significantly. However, in some countries with lower vaccination rates, such as Russia and Turkey, the numbers are still rising.
