COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest children may be inching closer to authorization – a pediatrician explains how they’re being tested

Young infants under the age of 6 months are not currently included in the vaccine clinical trials, but antibodies produced by mothers from vaccination in pregnancy can be passed on through the placenta to provide protection from COVID-19 during the first few months of life.

 Should children get COVID vaccines? What the science says

With vaccination campaigns under way in some countries while others weigh the options, Nature looks at the evidence for vaccinating younger people.

 Why Kids’ COVID-Vaccine Results Don’t Look Like Adults’

After a stellar run in adult and teen trials, the vaccines are now trying to contend with Omicron, and the numbers show it.

FDA advisory panel recommends Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11

A panel of independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that the agency issue an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 years old. The vote was 17 in favor and one abstention. The FDA panel accepted Pfizer's data indicating the vaccine is safe and 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in this age group.

Should children get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Like a lot of COVID-19 discussions, for now there are more questions than answers.

The Next Covid-19 Battle Will Be About Vaccinating Kids

Pfizer and Moderna are midway through clinical trials, and the public health system is well versed in delivering childhood shots. The challenge? Politics.

Your questions about kids and COVID-19 vaccines, answered

Are the vaccine side effects the same for teens and pre-teens? Are there additional risks?

Are Covid-19 Vaccines Safe for Kids? What Parents Should Know

What to know after the FDA expanded use of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccines to children 12 to 15 years old, and is nearing a decision to widen use to kids as young as 5 years old

Covid Vaccines for Kids Are Coming, but Not for Many Months

Given the low risk of Covid-19 in children, some parents might be skeptical of the urgency to inoculate their children with a brand-new jab, Dr. Offit said. “For that reason, the vaccine would have to be held to a very high standard of safety,” he said.

Covid-19: Should all children get a vaccine?

There is a scientific question - will vaccinating children save lives? - which is complex as the answer may vary from country to country. There is also a moral and ethical dimension if doses destined for children would save more lives if they were given to health workers and vulnerable adults in other countries.

Does Early Childhood Vaccination Protect Against COVID-19?

In summary, data published among the people infected people with COVID in China, Italy, and South Korea showed that children are generally less affected by the disease. We hypothesized that such immunity among children is related to early childhood vaccination, particularly anti-measles and anti- rubella vaccinations.

Even Pro-Vaccine Parents Have a lot of Questions. Here are the Answers We Found

There is a lot of misinformation for stressed parents to wade through. With vaccine trials underway for young children, we talked to doctors about what the real risks are There is a lot of misinformation for stressed parents to wade through. With vaccine trials underway for young children, we talked to doctors about what the real risks are

Everything you need to know about covid-19 vaccines for children

Covid-19 vaccines are being trialled in children, with early results from Pfizer showing remarkable efficacy and tolerability. But whether any are approved for use this year may depend on how the virus behaves, say experts.

FDA authorizes Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for use in adolescents

“Today’s expansion of our EUA represents a significant step forward in helping the U.S. government broaden its vaccination program and help protect adolescents ages 12 – 15 before the start of the next school year,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. “Together, we hope to help bring a sense of normalcy back to young people across the country and eventually around the world.”

I'm Vaccinated Against COVID-19, But My Kids Aren't. What's Safe for Us?

When can my kids get vaccinated? That depends on when vaccine makers finish their secondary studies. Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are all currently studying their shots in kids of various ages to make sure they are safe and promote an immune response in younger people.

I’m a Pediatrician. Get Your Child Vaccinated.

It shouldn’t be so hard: Now that we have safe and effective vaccines, COVID-19 is a vaccine-preventable disease in children 12 and up. Kids no longer need to get sick with the coronavirus, nor do they need to get MIS-C or long COVID. They should be out living their life, safe from the virus and posing no danger to others. What the vaccines give your child is immunity without disease.

The Flimsy Evidence Behind the CDC’s Push to Vaccinate Children

The vaccine’s benefits may outweigh its risks for healthy kids, but the government shouldn’t try to push that conclusion based on faulty data.

The Pandemic Has Worsened Childhood Vaccination Rates Around The World

The worst impact is on children who live in conflict-ridden areas, remote places or in slums. Those are areas where access to basic health and social services are extremely limited and where the WHO and UNICEF say up to 17 million children likely didn't receive a single vaccine during the year. COVID-19 has made a "bad situation worse," Henrietta Fore, UNICEF's executive director, said.

UK children will not be offered Covid jab unless vulnerable

Children in the UK will get a Covid vaccine only if they are over 12 and extremely vulnerable, or live with someone at risk, as scientists raised concerns about inflammation around the heart linked to the Pfizer jab.

When Vaccinating Kids, Does Weight Matter? Should an 11-Year-Old Wait to Turn 12 to Get a Bigger Dose?

We turned to five experts to answer these frequently-asked questions.

When will teens and kids be able to get the Covid-19 vaccines?

It may still be a while. Here’s what parents can do in the meantime while their kids aren’t vaccinated and others are.