FDA advisers ask: Should kids get the Covid-19 vaccine?

 

Last week, vaccine advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration debated what kind of detailed information the agency would need to consider authorizing the use of coronavirus vaccines in children younger than 12 years old.   While a few advisers said it's too soon to rush the use of vaccines in children because kids are at such low risk from the virus, most argued that it's important to have authorizations on hand should there be a resurgence of the virus in the fall and winter.   And a top FDA official reminded committee members that Covid-19 can and does kill children.   Currently, only Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine is authorized for use in people as young as age 12. Moderna's vaccine is authorized for people 18 and older, although the company has asked FDA to authorize its use in children as young as 12. The one other FDA-authorized vaccine is the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, used in the people 18 years and older.   While the vaccines have been shown to be highly safe and effective in older age groups, the advisers were concerned about preliminary reports of an inflammatory heart condition called myocarditis that could potentially be linked to the vaccine.   According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while there are "very few" reports of myocarditis or pericarditis in 12-15-year olds who have been given coronavirus vaccines, the data does show that there has been a higher-than-expected number of cases of heart inflammation among young people who have recently received their second doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines.   Most of the cases are among older teens, among 16- and 17-year-olds. Through May 31, nearly 2.3 million doses of the vaccines were administered and 79 cases of myocarditis and pericarditis were reported. The CDC noted the expected rate -- the rate that is typical among people this age -- is between two and 19 cases.   The CDC data also showed that among 18-24-year-olds, nearly 9.8 million doses were administered, and there were 196 reports of myocarditis and pericarditis. The expected rate is between eight and 83 cases.   The CDC’s vaccine advisory group is meeting on Friday to discuss the benefits and risks of vaccinating young people, with specific discussion about the heart inflammation issue.