On Friday, October 29, 2021, the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for emergency use for children ages 5-11. The approved dosage for children is one-third of what is given to adults, and it will be administered in two doses with three weeks in-between each. Despite the recent approval, it will take time for the program to ramp up and give every young child access to the vaccine; this is likely to occur by the week of November 8. Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, says that the federal government will be able to supply all 28 million eligible children with doses of the vaccine. For children under the age of five, Pfizer is currently conducting clinical trials to ultimately be able to give children as young as six-months old the vaccine; their consensus can possibly be made before the end of the year.
As young children are about to start getting their first dose of the vaccine, those ages 18 and above are increasingly becoming eligible to receive a booster shot. The Pfizer and Moderna booster shots are currently available for all people ages 65 and older, or those 18 and up who live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, or work/live in high-risk environments. Someone who meets such criteria is only able to get their third dose after six months following their second dose. For the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, all people ages 18 and up are eligible to receive their booster dose after two months following their first dose. Interestingly, the CDC states that it is acceptable for people to mix and match which type of vaccine they receive for their booster.
For people who have had COVID as a result of a breakthrough case, there’s currently no data that shows any differences in levels of immunity. Still, Inessa Gendlina, the Director of Infectious Diseases at Montefiore Health System, recommends that those who recovered from a breakthrough case should still get vaccinated since T-cells are difficult to measure and antibodies begin to fall after a “month [or] two” since an infection. Contrarily, Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, said that an infection with COVID can possibly provide “a significant protective boost because it exposes the immune system to more of the coronavirus than just the spike protein targeted by vaccines.” Meaning, those who have hybrid immunity (are fully vaccinated and recovered from a COVID infection), don’t necessarily need to receive a booster shot since they have had, essentially, three exposures to the virus.
There is still much to learn about the impact and efficacy of the various COVID vaccines in children, the necessity of booster shots by age and health, as well as the strength of hybrid immunity. Just like everything else during the pandemic, new information will emerge day-by-day and all we can do in the meantime is wait and stay healthy and safe.
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website.
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