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Robust Antibody Response In Children Found With Pfizer Vaccine

Introduction

As time passes, a larger chunk of the world population is getting vaccinated, finally signalling an end in sight for the Covid-19 pandemic. As we enter the final few months of 2021, countries are starting to think about Covid-19 vaccinations for younger demographics, especially teens. The vaccine made by Pfizer in the USA has already been approved for older children (over 12 years). Soon though, it looks like children in the 5 – 11 age bracket may be able to get the jab.

According to Pfizer, vaccination for this age group can be initiated by the time Halloween rolls around. The possibility of schools opening up soon seems very real with this news and it may only be a matter of time before we see the same trend around the world. 

About the Pfizer Vaccine 

The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is one of the main vaccines being used in the USA to inoculate the population. As the adult population was getting their shots, attention turned to younger demographics. The Pfizer vaccine was tested and approved for emergency use on children first in Dec 2020 for those between 16-18. Later in May 2021, this was extended to those in the age range of 12 – 15. Children younger than this currently have no protection from Covid-19.

So Pfizer has been testing the vaccine at about 1/3rd the amount given to adults, in a trial covering about 2,200 children. The test found the vaccine to be safe and it generated the required antibody response. With this result, the company expects that the FDA will give Emergency Use Approval in as little as a month. 

The Situation In the USA

As more countries sanction vaccine trials with younger groups of children, the vaccination coverage across the entire population is sure to increase very soon. Across the world, children under 15 make up 26% of the total population. The need to get them vaccinated is also important to acquire herd immunity.  

With the Pfizer, Covid-19 vaccine for younger children soon to be approved, schools may finally start to end online classes. For example, in New York state there were no rules in place for student vaccination, only the staff needed to be vaccinated. This will restore stability, structure and discipline in the education system. For grownups too, this comes as welcoming news because, once this age group starts being vaccinated, parents will feel relieved and they too can resume their normal activities like going back to the workplace (which they may have been fearful of doing because they might become carriers of the disease and pass the virus on to their children).

The need for getting as many children vaccinated as possible is growing more urgent as the US is also dealing with the Delta variant. This is one of the deadliest COVID-19 variants and even if vaccinated people get infected, the symptoms are very mild and certainly not life-threatening.

The Pfizer vaccine trial on children between 5 and 11 years was conducted using 2 doses (each of 10 micrograms), with 3 weeks interval between each shot. Considering the urgent requirement at this time as well as the vaccine’s past performance with older kids and adults, this vaccine may be rolled out in as little as a few months or weeks.

Child Covid-19 Vaccines – In Other Countries

Across the world, several other countries too have anticipated the need to get children vaccinated and open up schools. In India, the Zydus Cadila Covid-19 vaccine was the earliest to get emergency use approval for children as young as 12. It is also the only needle-free, plasmid DNA vaccine currently approved for people under 18, it may be used exclusively for children since it has not been used to inoculate adults yet.  

In Europe, a lot of countries like France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden have begun vaccination for children 12 and over. But some of these approvals are only if the child has certain underlying conditions (lung disease, asthma. etc), others are more general. 

In China, the homegrown Sinovac vaccine was approved for children 3 – 17 years. As it stands with current Covid-19 vaccines, that would be the youngest approved age. The same vaccine is being used by several countries in Africa, Asia and South America. 

Conclusion

All through 2020 and the better part of 2021, the sheer magnitude of this pandemic seemed overwhelming. But with dedication, the scientific and the medical community are finding the means to get to the light at the end of the tunnel soon. Allowing Covid-19 vaccines for children is one of the final steps the world is taking towards being free from the pandemic. Schools were one of the first institutions to completely shut down and they might be the last to reopen. The good news is that with more trials like the one from Pfizer, there is a tangible and very real possibility that our children may finally be able to go to school in person. The world may not go back to the way it used to be but we can see the day where schools are full of children again.

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Will Pfizer Launch A COVID Vaccine By December’20?


Here’s the COVID-19 vaccine update: Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, almost all countries across the world have been racing against time to formulate a coronavirus vaccine that can immunize us against the coronavirus. The virus has claimed millions of lives and has wreaked tremendous economic havoc. On top of that, scientists have realized that even if COVID symptoms go away, serious long-term effects are showing up which can become an even greater health crisis. The sooner the vaccine hits the market, the better.  

A number of vaccines, including 2 in India, are in the 2nd and 3rd phases of human trials. But our patience is wearing out. In the midst of all this gloom, US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer surprised everyone by announcing that its vaccine candidate will be marketed by December 2020 or January 2021 tops. Here’s what we know about the situation so far.

Pfizer’s corona vaccine update

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech began human trials in June this year. Since then the vaccine has been tried on 44,000 in different stages. Officials at both pharmaceuticals have said that trials went on as expected and there were no set-backs. They expect the results of the trials to be in by the 3rd week of November. If everything is positive and there does not need to be a tweak in the formulation, Pfizer will apply for emergency authorization of the vaccine.  

Pfizer has said it would immediately roll out 40 million doses as soon as regulatory bodies give them the green light.  

What are the critics saying?

Scientists are skeptical and feel that Pfizer is rushing in order to stay ahead of its nearest competitors Moderna and AstraZeneca and be the first pharma to launch a COVID vaccine. For example, Pfizer will only wait for 32 infections among the 440,000 people it has tested the drug on before they analyze the results. Whereas Moderna and AstraZeneca will only carry out the first-look analysis after 53 and 75 cases have been confirmed in their trial groups respectively. This would give them a larger data pool to understand if there are any shortcomings with their vaccine.  

What this means for India

The world will soon find out how effective the Pfizer vaccines will be. We will want to carry out our own analysis as well for getting the corona vaccine in India. If Indian scientists are satisfied, then the government may approach the pharma giant for collaboration. But even if results are not satisfactory, we needn’t worry because we have already tied up with AstraZeneca and our indigenous vaccines Covax and Zydus Cadila have shown promising results. Everyone is hopeful that the vaccines will be ready by March 2021.  

In the meantime, what we can do is maintain COVID protocol and follow all hygiene guidelines. We need to stay at home as much as possible and if we step out, we need to wear masks and use sanitizers. Remember, we might have to wait for months before we get vaccinated. Even if the vaccine is available by March 2021, only frontline workers will be eligible for it. So let us all be patient and carry on with the COVID precautions.