Medical staff will prepare the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up site in New York City last October.
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Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
Medical staff will prepare the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up site in New York City last October.
Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
The low-dose version of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine appears to be far less effective at protecting infants from infection than the high-dose version of the vaccine given to older children and adults. New research show.
In all cases, the vaccine has been proven to provide strong protection against serious illness. The preprint study examined data collected from more than 1.2 million fully vaccinated children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 from December 13 to January 30.
Researchers at the New York State Department of Health found that the vaccine’s ability to protect children at the lowest doses (children aged 5 to 11 years) from virus capture was the most diminished, from 68% to just 12%. .. Those children received injections containing only 10 milligrams, which is one-third of the dose given to older children, adolescents, and adults.
On the other hand, efficacy in children aged 12 to 17 years, who received the same dose of 30 milligrams as adults, decreased from 66% to 51%, showing a slight decrease.
“These results underscore the potential need and continued importance of studying alternative vaccine administration for children. [of] Layered protection, including wearing a mask, to prevent infection and infection. ”
The results of the study are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed masking guidelines In many parts of the United States, on the same day, several school districts, including New York City (the largest in the United States), announced that student mask obligations would soon be lifted.
It continues again Unexpected delay In the process of emergency use authorization of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children from 6 months to 4 years. The company said new data had emerged and the Food and Drug Administration said it needed more time to evaluate the data.
