Fauci Says Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine , Could Soon Receive FDA Clearance , for Children Under 5 .
CNBC reports chief medical adviser to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may soon approve coronavirus vaccines for children under 5 years old.
My hope is that it’s going to be within the next month or so and not much later than that, but I can’t guarantee that.
, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser, White House, via CNBC.
In Pfizer's clinical trials, two doses did not amount to an adequate immune response in 2- to 4-year-olds.
Fauci says because of this, younger children are likely to require three doses for ample protection.
According to CNBC, if Pfizer's three-dose study is a success, the company intends to submit data to the FDA within the first 6 months of 2022.
Thus far, vaccine manufacturers have yet to identify any safety concerns when administering a 3-microgram dose in children 6 months to 4-years-old.
Experts say children under 6 in the United States are more vulnerable to the virus, as they are the only age group currently ineligible to receive the vaccine.
Sadly, we are seeing the rates of hospitalizations increasing for children zero to 4, children who are not yet currently eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.
, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, via CNBC.
According to data collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronavirus hospitalizations among children under 5 have more than doubled since early December 2021.
As of Jan.
8, almost 8 out of every 100,000 children under 5 has been hospitalized with COVID-19
