May 12, 2021

Vaccines for Children

 

An advisory committee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted for the approval to begin administering shots for children Wednesday, and those vaccines could be administered as soon as Thursday.

The CDC’s approval follows that of the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to expand the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to include children ages 12 to 15 years old, which came Monday evening. This amended the original EUA that was issued on Dec. 11, 2020 when the administration was for individuals ages 16 and older.

Indianapolis media reported Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Indiana’s chief medical officer, said Hoosier parents will be allowed to register their 12- to 15-year-old children beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday. Children must have parental permission to receive a vaccine.

The FDA determined the Pfizer vaccine met statutory criteria to amend the EUA, and the known and potential benefits of the vaccine in individuals 12 and older outweigh the known and potential risks, which support the vaccine’s use in the age group.