May 12 2021 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement Tuesday that it recommends that U.S. 12- to 15-year-olds use the Coronavirus vaccine developed by German biotech company Pfizer Co., Ltd. and Pfizer Inc.
The CDC’s recommendation is based on a recent FDA license, the statement said. The FDA extended the emergency license for Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine to 12 to 15-year-olds on Monday.
The CDC will provide the new vaccine to about 17 million adolescents in the United States, the statement said. The statement said the vaccination of adolescents meant they could be reintegrated into society more quickly.
Children are at low risk of developing severe Coronavirus, but can still transmit the virus, the statement said. From March 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021, there were 1.5 million confirmed cases of new infections among 11- to 17-year-olds in the United States, and some children died from conditions associated with coronavirus infections, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) met Tuesday and voted 14 in favor, 0 against and 1 abstention to support the use of Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine for people ages 12 to 15, USA Today reported. The committee also recommended on the same day that the Coronavirus vaccine could be given in conjunction with any other conventional vaccine. Previously, the CDC recommended separate vaccinations to determine the cause of adverse drug reactions.
Pfizer launched a clinical trial of the vaccine in December 2020 for people ages 12 to 15, and so far, 2,260 adolescents have participated in the trial, including about 1,131 subjects, none of whom have been infected with the coronavirus, and 18 in the placebo group, Reuters reported. Common adverse reactions after vaccination in this group include pain, fatigue, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever, and joint pain, usually lasting 1 to 3 days.
It is reported that the United States Georgia, Delaware, Arkansas and so on have started on the 11th for 12 to 15-year-olds to get Pfizer’s Coronavirus vaccine. The group was vaccinated in the same way as adults, in two doses, at intervals of 3 weeks.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged parents of teenagers to make sure their children are vaccinated against the Coronavirus, ap reports. “This is another big step in our fight against the epidemic,” Biden said. Currently, the U.S. Department of Education does not mandate a Coronavirus vaccine for adolescents. Many U.S. universities say they want students to get the Coronavirus vaccine before enrolling this fall.
About a third of Americans have completed the Coronavirus vaccination, according to the CDC’s latest statistics, but the pace of vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.
