COVID vaccinations for children aged 5–11 can start in Finland by the end of this year at the earliest, says vaccination specialist Mika Rämet from the Vaccination Research Center of the University of Tampere.
The licensing process for the Pfizer-Biontech Covid vaccine is currently underway in the United States, and Rämet estimates that the European Medicines Agency’s approval process will begin soon.
In September, Pfizer-Biontech released the first results on the effectiveness of the vaccine in younger children. The studies showed, among other things, that the correct dose for adolescents aged 5 to 11 years was 10 micrograms, a third of the dose normally given to adults.
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"It is known that at this dose level, the immune response is formed in exactly the same way as in young adults at a dose of 30 micrograms. The study involved around 2,500 children aged 5 to 11 years, had no serious side effects and was tolerated in the same way as [the kids'] parents," Rämet told Yle.
If the EMA extends the marketing authorization to the 5-11 age group, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (Krar) will evaluate the use of the vaccine in that age group in Finland.
Rämet suggested that children aged 5 to 11 who were at higher risk of getting Covid infection could be the first to be vaccinated in this age group.
Source: The Nordic Page