Just announced in late October, the Covid-19 vaccine will soon be available for children ages 5-11 years old. The vaccine has not gotten the full approval from the FDA and CDC yet, but that approval is expected to arrive in only a few days.
Vaccinations
According to the CDC, two-thirds of Americans have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Roughly 416 million doses have been given out, and about 190 million Americans are fully vaccinated, which is almost 58% of the total U.S. population. The vaccine was created and regulated for adult use, as they had a higher risk of contracting Covid-19 than younger children. Once the vaccine was rolled out, researchers turned their attention to getting a vaccine ready for older teenagers. In May, the CDC approved a Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 12 to 16 years, helping to build herd immunity. The attention was then turned to the even younger child population and formulating a vaccine that would work for them. And now, the wait is over as a vaccine for children aged 5-11 years is going to roll out soon.
Making the Vaccine Work
There are many steps and precautions to take when making the Covid-19 vaccine. Once the adult vaccine was approved and underway, that didn’t necessarily mean that the vaccine would be ready for younger children. There are different factors to consider for them, including much smaller weight proportions per dose being one of the main factors. Obviously, the amount for an adult would be too high of a dose for a child, but depending on their weight, there had to be a good balance for the vaccine to do its job. Another vital factor for consideration is a child’s natural development. Different ages of kids mean different developmental stages, and would require a more catered vaccine for each age group.
Availability
The next question in the vaccination phase is obviously when it will be available for your children. The final approval from both the CDC and FDA should only take a few more days. Once that step is completed, then the vaccines can be prepped and ready for distribution. With the approval process going smoothly, the vaccines could be available for children as soon as early November. It may take additional time, but the prospects are good that before the end of the year, a Covid-19 vaccine will be available for 5–11-year-olds.
Katie Kyzivat