CDC Approves Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine For Pediatric Use

The United States is about to start vaccinating children with Covid-19 as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gives a green signal to Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. This vaccine can be given to young children to protect against current and expected strains of Covid variants.

Until the first week of November, only children aged 5-11 could be protected through means such as social distancing and masks. With Pfizer vaccines, they will have a significantly increased level of safety. As with the way vaccines work for adults, the Covid-19 vaccines for children will help them build immunity to fight the virus.

What is the difference between the Pfizer Covid vaccine for children and adults?

The purpose of the Pfizer vaccine is to prevent individuals from contracting COVID-19, and there is a big difference between childhood and adult vaccines. Differences can be found in the formulations offered for children, adolescents and adults.

The dose of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine shows the most noticeable difference in the formulation given to children and adults. The dose given to children is one third of the strength given to adults.

Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 contains a lower dose of about 10 micrograms. For older children and adults, the dose provided is about 30 mcg. In addition to differences in dosage and strength, needle size varies for each group. It uses smaller needles for children than for adults. The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech is the same for children 12 to 15 years of age and for individuals 16 years of age and older.

How does the CDC recommend them, and what are their official recommendations?

Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccines are approved for children ages 5 to 11, 12 to 17, and older individuals by the CDC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone ages 5 and older be vaccinated to combat Covid-19.

The federal government is extending free Covid-19 doses to all eligible children and adults for the vaccination. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents check with their health care provider before vaccinating their children. You may also contact your state or local or regional health department for appointments or information about immunization visits in your area.

The dose is not subject to the weight of the patient but varies only according to the age of the recipient on the day of vaccination. Each child who receives the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will need a second dose three weeks after the first.

How should childhood vaccines be stored differently from adult vaccines?

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccines for children require different storage facility specifications than those for the adult vaccine. Vaccine packaging also varies: the orange capped vials are for children ages 5 to 11, and the purple capped vials are for teens and adults over 12 years old.

Each vial contains ten doses of the vaccine and requires 1.3 ml of the diluent according to Pfizer’s initial plan. Vaccines require an extremely cold storage facility for six months or ten weeks for refrigeration storage.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are shipped chilled from the manufacturing unit in dry ice-packed thermal containers. To ensure the charger has proper temperature conditions, a GPS-enabled digital data logger is installed, according to this Dixon article .

The data logger assists in the rapid monitoring of temperature conditions and contains sensors that can detect extremely cold temperatures outside the range. Data loggers offer continuous management, and their memory chips can be used to track the temperature history of shipping and storage facilities.

Since vaccines are highly sensitive to temperature, it becomes necessary to ship, store and handle them with care. Maintaining the cold storage chain of Pfizer’s pediatric Covid-19 vaccines is critical to the continued efficacy of these vaccines.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children contains a different buffer than that used in vaccines given to older children and adults. This buffer is FDA approved and keeps the vaccine at a constant, refrigerated temperature for extended periods.

According to regulations provided by the CDC and Pfizer-BioNTech, the vaccine must be used within six hours of puncturing the vial, and thawed vaccines must not be returned to the freezer. The storage facility should not be disturbed, and the flasks should not be taken out of storage unless managed.

Vaccines are subject to stress, humidity, temperature change, and physical damage. The slightest change in any of these factors can cause a significant loss of units. Therefore, it is necessary for hospitals, pharmacies, health care, transportation and storage facilities to hire trained personnel to handle vials.

How does my child qualify for it?

The head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases in Beaumont has stated that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 90% effective in preventing symptomatic cases of Covid-19 in children ages 5 to 11.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone be vaccinated, it is normal for parents to have questions about vaccinating their children. Some points that can guide you are:

1. Your child must be 5 years or older on the day of the vaccination. The proposed vaccine formulations for children under the age of five have yet to receive approval.
2. If Covid has infected your child recently, you should wait until he recovers and completes the post-isolation period as recommended by the doctor.
3. If your child has any underlying illness, infection , or allergy, parents are advised to consult your doctor and get their approval for vaccination.
4. After the first dose, it is necessary to wait 21 days before receiving the second dose. Any dose taken 17 days before the first dose will be considered invalid, and your child will have to get another dose after the time recommended by the healthcare professional.

According to current research, the new Pfizer-BiotNTech Covid-19 vaccines for children are highly effective and safe for children. The American Academy of Pediatrics constantly urges children and adults to get vaccinated to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. Noting the increase in cases and odds of delta and delta infection as well as variables affecting more children, vaccination is the most effective way to stay protected from the impact of the virus.