Even children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be able to boost against Covid with Pfizer’s new bivalent vaccine studied against the Omicron 4 and 5 sub-variants still dominant in Italy. The green light came through the circular of the Ministry of Health which implements the indications of Aifa and in particular recommends the third administration (after the primary cycle with two doses) to fragile children with pathologies that make them more vulnerable to severe forms of Covid . But at the request of the parents, the recall can also be made by the other children in the same age group.
The indications of the circular of the Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health has just published the circular incorporating the opinion of the Technical-Scientific Commission of the Italian Medicines Agency which in its meeting on 5 December had accepted the opinion expressed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) which had in fact already authorized the formulation Original/Omicron BA.4-5 (5/5 micrograms). In particular, the circular extends the recommendation of the booster dose to children in the 5-11 year age group (included), who “present conditions of fragility such as to expose them to the development of more severe forms of SARS-CoV-2 infection”. “Furthermore – the same circular specifies – taking into account the indication of use authorized by Ema and Aifa, this wording may also be made available for the recall of children, in the 5-11 age group (included), who do not present these conditions, at the request of the parent or whoever has parental authority”.
In December, yes also to the primary cycle for the youngest children
Last December 10 – after more than a month from the go-ahead from the Italian drug agency – the circular from the Ministry of Health also arrived which extended the use of the anti-Covid vaccine to children aged 6 months-4 years. In this case, the green light concerned vaccination with the first two doses, given that the vaccine had not yet been authorized in this age group. Even in this age group, the vaccine is recommended for children “who present conditions of fragility, such as to expose them to the development of more severe forms of infection”, and specifically a series of pathologies or conditions that determine this fragility are listed. But the circular also makes the vaccine available here to all children at the request of the parent.