Pfizer wants to inoculate the youngsters in the US this winter, but the firm needs to apply for authorization in the next two months.
Pfizer said it expected to present its data in the coming months
Covid vaccines could be rolled out to babies as young as six months old under new plans from one of the pharmaceutical giants, say reports.
Pfizer may want to inoculate American children this winter. However, the company must apply for authorization within the next two weeks.
This timeline will depend on the results of clinical trials that examine whether the vaccine is safe for children between 6 months and five years old.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children 12 years and older get a Covid vaccination to prevent the spread of the disease.
The body says: “Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic. People who are fully vaccinated can resume activities that they did before the pandemic.”
Children aged 12 and over can get the Pfizer vaccine in the US, and this will be rolled out to the same age group in the UK soon.
The Financial Times reports that Frank D’Amelio, chief financial officer at Pfizer, said that the company plans to ‘file’ by November.
He told the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference: “We would expect to have… data for children between the ages of six months and five years old that we would file with the FDA.
“I’ll call it in the weeks shortly after that the filing of the data for the five- to 11-year-olds.”
It comes after the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers recommended a “universal” rollout of the Pfizer jab to children aged 12 to 15 – after judging it will help prevent schools’ chaos over winter.
Every child in the UK who is 12 years old or older will receive one dose of the Covid vaccine starting next week.
Over-16s are already able to get the jab, with 16 and 17-year-olds getting an “initial” one dose instead of two. Current rules state that 12-15-year-olds can only receive it if they are in vulnerable groups.
Before vaccinating their child, parents will likely be asked to consent.
Children aged 12-15 years are recommended to receive one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.