The Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr, Francis Collins said that children, who were younger than 12 years, would start getting vaccinated by early next year. Collins mentioned that they would definitely need to get there. The current study pertaining to the vaccines was studying children under and over 12 years.
He further added that after the first year they would need to investigate whether the vaccine worked for younger children, because they stood the chance of getting infected and also passing it on.
The next level of testing that needs to be done is for that age group and to see whether it will be effective.
The two pharma majors in the running for the COVID -19 vaccines Pfizer and Moderna are testing their vaccines on children in the age group of 12 -18 years. The vaccines of both these companies – Pfizer and Moderna are on the anvil of receiving emergency authorization in the near future in the US. The United Kingdom on Wednesday has however given emergency use authorization to Pfizer. The vaccines that are slated to start on Tuesday are going to target the care home residents as among the first group to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Mass vaccinations will then follow.
The first country in the world to approve the vaccine is UK. It has chosen the Pfizer/BioNTech. This two dose vaccine is said to be 95% effective. Teachers and bus drivers would be the next in line for these vaccines as they are identified as the next high risk group.
There has been an alarming rise in COVID – 19 hospitalizations in the USA , that is squeezing the hospital systems, Trump vaccine chief Slaoui has said that everyone in the US could be immunized by June next year, The CDC panel has mentioned that health care workers and could be the first to get access to the vaccine.
