The American drug agency FDA has also approved the bivalent anti-Covid vaccines updated to Omicron 4 and 5 for children aged 6 months to 5 years. The extension of the emergency use authorization (EUA) applies to both bivalent BA.4/BA.5 by Moderna and for that of Pfizer-BioNTech.
More precisely, children 6 months to 5 years who have already been administered the original monovalent Moderna vaccine can now receive a single booster of the bivalent Moderna vaccine, 2 months after completion of the primary series with the monovalent”.
Covid, what happened to the vaccines for the youngest children?
by Fabio Di Todaro
As for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, children aged 6 months to 4 years who have not yet started the primary cycle of three doses, or who have not yet received the third dose of the primary cycle, can be given the bivalent product as a third dose in the primary series after two doses of monovalent.
On the other hand, with regard to children aged 6 months-4 years who have already completed the primary vaccination course with three doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, at least at the moment the bivalent booster is not indicated for them because according to the US regulatory body they should still be protected even against the most serious forms of infection by currently circulating Omicron variants. In any case, data to support the bivalent booster dose for this category of children is expected in January.
Influenza: towards universal vaccine, created one for 20 strains
by Irma D’Aria
More children now have the opportunity to upgrade their protection against Covid-19 with a bivalent vaccine, and we encourage parents and health care professionals to consider it when indicated – urges FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf – especially as we move towards the Christmas holidays and the winter months, periods during which more time is spent indoors. As the ” Sars-CoV-2 ” virus has changed and the immunity conferred by the previous vaccination decreases, the more people update their protection and the greater the benefits for those who protect themselves, for families and for public health, thanks to the possibility to prevent serious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths”.
Maria Elena Bottazzi: “This is how my vaccine against Covid for the poor was born”
by Emanuela Griglie
“Vaccines remain the best defense against the most devastating consequences of the disease caused by Omicron, such as hospitalization and death – specifies Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Researchd, FDA – Based on the available data, the updated bivalent vaccines ” to Omicron 4 and 5 “should provide greater protection. Parents and health professionals can be sure – Marks reassures – that the FDA has paid close attention to the review” of data on new vaccines in children. For this, “we encourage parents of children of any age who can benefit from primary vaccination or a booster dose of bivalent vaccine to consider doing it now, because it will help protect them from Covid-19 at a time when infections they grow”.