Parents might have to wait until the end of the year before the COVID-19 vaccine is fully approved for young people under the age of 12.
The news comes from Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, in an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition.
Pfizer and Moderna are currently studying the shot’s safety and efficacy in younger children and infants, with Pfizer expected to deliver the results of its trials for 5-11-year-olds to the Food and Drug Administration sometime in September.
Collins suggested it could take months after receipt of that data for the regulatory agency to grant an emergency authorization to Pfizer’s vaccine for use among children under 12.
“I got to be honest, I don’t see approval for kids 5 to 11 coming much before the end of 2021,” Collins told NPR in an interview.
Collins said one of the things both Pfizer and Moderna are attempting to ascertain is whether young children should receive a smaller vaccine dose than what has already been approved for adults.
Hammer and Nigel have more in today’s edition of “Vaccine Stuff.”
