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As the Biden administration continues its efforts to vaccinate millions of Americans before COVID-19 mutates further, health experts and drugmakers have begun to focus their attention on inoculating children into the hope to exceed the threshold of herd immunity to the virus.
“Hopefully by the time we get to the end of spring, the beginning of summer, we have children who can be vaccinated according to the guidelines of the FDA,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading specialist in infectious diseases of the country.
Although children are less likely than adults to develop serious illness from COVID-19, they are known to contract and spread the disease asymptomatically. Fauci has estimated that the herd immunity threshold for COVID-19 is between 70% and 85% of the population, which means people vaccinated or exposed to the virus reach a level high enough to prevent its spread. Since nearly a quarter of the U.S. population is under the age of 18, herd immunity will require at least some children to be immunized.
As of February 1, more than 31 million Americans, most over the age of 65, had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In the coming weeks, the vaccine’s rollout is expected to expand beyond healthcare workers and the elderly, but neither vaccine has yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for children. Pfizer’s vaccine has been approved for people 16 years of age and older, while Moderna’s is approved for people 18 years of age and older.
Both companies started trials for children as young as 12, but Moderna struggled to find enough young participants. Yahoo News medical collaborator Dr. Kavita Patel explains the need for testing in children under 18 and 16. “Most of the vaccine doses we use in a population of childhood age are not as strong or at different doses than what we might use in adults and especially the elderly,” Patel said. “In addition, we need to make sure that the two-dose approach is still necessary.”
If these trials go well, coronavirus vaccines will be tested in younger age groups.
“Over the next two months, we will be experimenting with de-escalating the age,” Fauci said last week.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control has shown that children and adolescents are less likely than adults to be infected or have severe illness from COVID-19.
Patel points out that vaccinating children is not just a matter of herd immunity, as some children get sick and require medical attention. As of Jan.21, nearly 2.6 million American children have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics, with between 1.2% and 2.9% of that number requiring treatment. hospitalization.
Approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children could also help hasten Biden’s goal of reopening schools, but Patel warns children 6 and under may have to wait until there is have more data from clinical trials.
“What we’re hoping is that enough people over 16 will receive the vaccine to create that herd immunity,” Patel said, adding, “I think 2021 would likely see a vaccine approved for all 12. years and older, maybe 8 or 6 years and older, but not for the youngest age group [age 6 and under] at most until 2022. But again, it depends on what we’ve learned about safety and effectiveness in children.
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