Dr. John Vanchiere, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist LSU Health Shreveport
Pfizer says its COVID vaccine protects children as young as 12-years-old from the coronavirus. LSU Health Shreveport pediatric infectious disease specialist Doctor John Vanchiere says the drug manufacturer came to this conclusion based on a promising study of 22-hundred U-S volunteers between the ages of 12-and-15.
“And it turns out that the 12- to 15-year-old adolescents have even a much higher antibody response than did adults in the study,” said Vanchiere.
Vanchiere said in addition to building antibodies the vaccine also proved to be protective against disease.
Vanchiere says while children are not as susceptible to COVID as adults, this is a huge step towards ending the pandemic.
“Children can transmit the virus and getting to herd immunity will require kids to be protected as well,” said Vanchiere.
Vanchiere said Pfizer reportedly plans to request an amendment to its current FDA emergency use authorization to include ages 12 to 15 in time for use next fall. Clinical trials for ages 5 to 11 will begin in May.
“So younger kids most likely are still maybe even twelve months out from having the vaccine available for kids younger than age 12, outside the clinical trial,” said Vanchiere.
Vanchiere says dozens of adolescents participated in the Pfizer vaccine study at LSU Health Shreveport.
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