Yay? Hartford HealthCare starts jabbing wincing kids aged 5-11 with Pfizer's COVID vaccine just MINUTES after CDC officially signed off on approval
A hospital in Connecticut began administering Covid-19 vaccines to children, aged between five to 11, just minutes after the CDC officially signed off on approval.
Hartford Hospital vaccinated six children with a low dose of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday evening and dozens more will get the shot today.
The decision has caused a storm of controversy with opponents pointing to the fact there is little evidence to suggest vaccinating children is necessary.
Data shows Covid poses a low risk to the age group, with children accounting for less than 0.1 percent of Covid deaths in America.
The decision means the US becomes one of the first countries in the world to officially approve jabs for this age group, with scientists in Britain warning officials against 'blindly' following America and recommending the jab to young children.
The Centers for Disease Control's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Tuesday unanimously voted 14-0 to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid pediatric vaccine dose for five to 11-year-olds.
CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky then signed off on the vote, meaning that approximately 28 million children in the US are now eligible for the shots.
It was the final step in the process that will allow injections in young children to begin this week in the United States, with President Joe Biden issuing a statement calling the decision 'a turning point' in the battle against Covid-19 and said they had secured enough vaccines for every child in America.
Hartford Hospital in Connecticut vaccinated six children minutes after the CDC officially signed off on approval of the use of the Covid-19 vaccine for for five to 11-year-olds on Tuesday
There have been more than 1.9 million cases of Covid-19 among five- to 11-year-olds in the United States, and more than 8,300 hospitalizations, more than 2,300 cases of MIS-C (pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome), and about 100 deaths.
Polls suggest many parents are not likely to have their kids vaccinated, with one poll finding around a third would 'definitely not'.
A further third said in the poll they would 'wait and see' and five percent said they would 'only if required'. Meanwhile, just 27 percent of parents said they would get their children vaccinated 'right away'.
Despite this, immediately after the CDC approval was confirmed, a number of parents brought their children to Hartford Hospital to get the vaccine and six were vaccinated after 8pm on Tuesday night.
One young girl who got the shot, Kailyn Cronin, eight, told WFSB that she had been 'nervous' about getting the vaccine but was looking forward to the world going back to normal.
'I felt very nervous but now it's over. Now we're vaccinated. That's a big step into making the world normal again, so we all don't need to wear masks and for everyone to be safe and healthy,' she said.
By approving vaccines for five- to 11-year-olds, America becomes one of the first countries in the world to begin vaccinating young children.
China has reportedly started rolling out its own vaccines to three-year-old children, and Chile is vaccinating children aged six and older. Israel, meanwhile, is expected to follow the US' lead now the CDC has approved the jabs.
However, these countries are currently the exception, with countries still weighing up the risks and benefits of the decision. Most are only vaccinating children aged 12 and upwards.
In Britain, scientists have warned against officials 'blindly' recommending the jabs to young children without weighing up the risks 'extremely carefully'.
Professor David Livermore, a medical microbiologist at the University of East Anglia told the MailOnline last week: 'Vaccinating children to protect adults via herd immunity is ethically dubious and is scientifically weak.'
There are also still fears about myocarditis, a form of heart inflammation detected in children, mostly boys, in around one in 10,000 cases after vaccination.
Critics say children are better off catching Covid and getting protection naturally because the risk of being admitted to ICU is about one in 500,000.
There are signs that natural immunity in British youngsters is already slowing the epidemic. But some studies have suggested myocarditis is even more common after Covid infection itself, which complicates the matter further.
While most cases of myocarditis after the Covid jab are mild and treatable, the UK Government's scientific advisers say the long-term effects of the inflammation is not understood.
Data used to justify the FDA panel's decision showed nearly 180 children would be expected to suffer from myocarditis for every death the vaccine would prevent if the rollout went ahead.
But the side effect would not be expected to cause any deaths.
The rollout would stop over 200 hospitalisations and a handful of deaths over a six-month period, by comparison.
And the data showed it could stop tens of thousands of infections in the same time.
A ten year old child high fives Pharmacist Colleen Teevan after he received the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for kids at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut
The Pfizer dose for children is only one-third of the original vaccine for adults and is about 91 percent effective against Covid. Pictured: Children queue for the shot in Connecticut
Pictures from Hartford Hospital in Connecticut on Tuesday night showed children queuing to get their vaccines, with Pharmacist Colleen Teevan being the one to administer the jabs.
'I could cry,' one mother, Liz Cronin, told AFP. 'We've all been waiting for it for so long for our kids to ... have this almost sense of normalcy back.'
Six-year-old Kareem Omar said the shot 'doesn't really hurt,' adding: 'Do it for the sake of America. Because it's helping America and the world, so, life is better for each and every person on Earth.'
The Pfizer dose for children is only one-third of the original vaccine for adults and is given in two doses, three weeks apart.
The lower dose was chosen to minimize side effects and still produce strong immunity, Pfizer says, and studies showed that it is about 91 per cent effective against Covid.
Stickers for children are seen ahead of full approval from the CDC for children to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on November 2, 2021
A mother holds her childs hand as she prepares to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for kids 5-11 at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on November 2, 2021
The CDC had convened a panel of independent scientists on Tuesday to review the available data on the status of the outbreak in children, the effectiveness of Pfizer's vaccine, and its possible side effects during a day of live-streamed discussions.
The panel unanimously recommended the vaccine, and the CDC then endorsed that recommendation.
The main concern was the risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, detected in adolescents and young adults (mostly males) after vaccination with the Pfizer or Moderna shots.
Health authorities have confirmed nearly 880 cases in people under 30 years of age, of which approximately 830 required hospitalization.
Nine deaths are suspected to have been related to myocarditis after the vaccine.
But of six cases so far reviewed, vaccine-related myocarditis was ultimately not identified as the cause of death, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Matthew Oster said in a presentation.
'I'm much more worried about what would happen to their child if they get Covid, for patients who don't have heart disease, than I am if they were to get this vaccine,' he added.
New survey data published on Thursday from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 27 percent of parents with kids aged five to 11 say that their children will get vaccinated as soon as it's available.
Because of the low risk of severe illness, only a third of parents have said they would get their children vaccinated 'right away', with a further third saying they would 'wait and see'. Five percent said they would 'only if required,' while 30 percent said 'definitely not'
Meanwhile, 33 percent say they will 'wait and see' how the vaccine is working before deciding whether or not to immunize their kids.
Another five percent of parents say they will only get their children vaccinated if it is required by their schools and 30 percent say they will not get their kids vaccinated at all.
And a member of the FDA advisory panel abstained from a vote on recommending the shot to kids last week because he said there is not enough evidence that all children need the shot.
The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 17-0-1 that benefits of the vaccine for kids aged five to 11 outweigh the potential risks.
Dr Michael Kurilla (pictured) was the only member to abstain in the FDA's advisory committee vote of 17-0-1 to recommend approval of COVID-19 vaccines in children ages five to 11
Dr Michael Kurilla, the director of the Division of Clinical Innovation, at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, who was the only member to not vote 'yes', told DailyMail.com there were several reasons behind his abstention.
Kurilla says there are children at high-risk of severe Covid due to underlying conditions who would benefit from the shot, but he's not sure if this applies to all kids in this age group.
Additionally, he said that kids who have been infected with Covid in the past already likely have immunity because of it.
Kurilla added current data does not suggest the vaccine's protection will last long enough and he is worried that antibodies will wane in children as has been seen in adults.
The government was well ahead of the decision, procuring enough doses for the children in the 5-11 age group and beginning to ship them across the country.
'Today, we have reached a turning point in our battle against Covid-19,' President Joe Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
Vaccinating younger children will 'allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others. It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus,' the president continued.
Children watch as Pharmacist Colleen Teevan reconstitutes the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for kids before administering it to six children waiting to be among the first 5-11 years olds in the US to receive the newly approved vaccine at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on November 2, 2021
The caps on the children's vials will be orange, making them easily recognizable compared to the purple caps on the vials for older groups. Pictured: A vial of the new children's dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, seen at Hartford Hospital in Hartford on Tuesday
The government has already secured enough vaccine for every child in America, he said, adding that over the weekend officials began the process of packing and shipping millions of doses.
'The program will ramp up over the coming days, and (be) fully up and running during the week of November 8,' he said.
The vaccine will still be given in two injections, three weeks apart. The dosage has been adjusted to 10 micrograms per injection, compared to 30 micrograms for the older age groups.
The caps on the children's vials will be orange, making them easily recognizable compared to the purple caps on the vials for older groups.
'As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated,' CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
The expected benefits of vaccinating children also include fewer school closures, and a possible reduction in transmission of the epidemic into the general population.
'If I had a grandchild, I would certainly get that grandchild vaccinated as soon as possible,' said Beth Bell, an infectious disease specialist and committee member on the CDC's independent panel.
'We have excellent evidence of efficacy and safety. We have a favorable risk benefit analysis.'
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