U.S. CDC Endorses COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children

The U.S. C.D.C. Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., confirmed her endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' new recommendation that children 5 to 11 years old be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Comirnaty vaccine.

The pediatric version of the Comirnaty vaccine is a two-dose, 10-µg dose regimen administered 21 days apart.

This C.D.C. recommendation impacts 28 million children in the U.S. and allows providers to begin vaccinating them as soon as possible.

"Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation's fight against the virus that causes COVID-19,' commented Dr. Walensky in a press statement.

"We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine."

"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."

The Comirnaty vaccine is a nucleoside-modified R.N.A. formulated in lipid nanoparticles and encodes an optimized SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike protein antigen.

Comirnaty contains a molecule with instructions for producing a protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

However, Comirnaty does not include the coronavirus itself and cannot cause COVID-19.