U.S. regulators on Monday expanded the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12, offering a way to protect the nation’s adolescents before they head back to school in the fall and paving the way for them to return to more normal activities.
Shots could begin as soon as a federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds. An announcement is expected Wednesday.
Most COVID-19 vaccines worldwide have been authorized for adults. Pfizer’s vaccine is being used in multiple countries for teens as young as 16, and Canada recently became the first to expand use to 12 and up. Parents, school administrators and public health officials elsewhere have eagerly awaited approval for the shot to be made available to more kids.
“This is a watershed moment in our ability to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president who’s also a pediatrician, told The Associated Press.
Shortly after the news broke Monday afternoon, Juneau Schools announced on-site vaccination clinics in anticipation that the recommendation will be adopted.
The clinics, which are free and available to all eligible children, will be held Friday, May 14 at the district’s two high schools and Monday, May 17 at the middle schools. Appointments are encouraged, and families can attend any clinic. Appointments are available through juneauschools.org or by calling 586-6000. A parent must attend with the student or sign and return a permission slip.
“We have teamed up with the City and Borough of Juneau, Juneau Public Health Center, and Bartlett Regional Hospital to host these clinics,” said Bridget Weiss, superintendent of Juneau Public Schools, in a voicemail to parents Monday afternoon.
In a new release Monday afternoon, city officials said that parents who accompany students can receive a free vaccine, too. Nurses and pediatricians will be at the clinics administering vaccinations. Capital City Fire/Rescue will help monitor students after their shot for any potential reactions.
This is the second round of on-site clinics hosted by the school. In April, students over the age of 16 and staff members were vaccinated as part of a similar effort.
Kristin Bartlett, chief of staff at the district, said that 86 people were vaccinated at the first school clinics.
Infections persist in Juneau
The news that teens are eligible to be vaccinated comes as Juneau has reported a steady stream of cases over the last several weeks, but infection levels remain low.
On Monday, the Emergency Operations Center reported eight new residents identified with COVID-19, including two people at Mendenhall River Community School. A second classroom at the school will move to distance delivery after the discovery of a case there last week forced a class to move to online instruction.
In late April, a cluster at Thunder Mountain High School prompted a one-week return to distance learning and a pause for the boy’s soccer team to allow for testing and quarantine.
New COVID cases reported at Thunder Mountain High School
The school year ends May 21. For most of this school year, students have participated in distance-only or hybrid schedules. Juneau’s schools returned to four full days of instruction in early April.
“As we wrap up this school year, thank you for all you’ve done to support your child and working with us through this pandemic experience,” Weiss said in her voicemail.
The Food and Drug Administration declared that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The study found no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among kids given dummy shots. More intriguing, researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.
The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.
Pfizer’s testing in adolescents “met our rigorous standards,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said. “Having a vaccine authorized for a younger population is a critical step in continuing to lessen the immense public health burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech recently requested similar authorization in the European Union, with other countries to follow.
The latest news is welcome for U.S. families struggling to decide what activities are safe to resume when the youngest family members remain unvaccinated.
“I can’t feel totally comfortable because my boys aren’t vaccinated,” said Carrie Vittitoe, a substitute teacher and freelance writer in Louisville, Kentucky, who is fully vaccinated, as are her husband and 17-year-old daughter.
The FDA decision means her 13-year-old son soon could be eligible, leaving only her 11-year-old son unvaccinated. The family has not yet resumed going to church, and summer vacation will be a road trip so they do not have to get on a plane.
“We can’t really go back to normal because two-fifths of our family don’t have protection,” Vittitoe said.
Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects. Another U.S. company, Novavax, has a COVID-19 vaccine in late-stage development and just began a study in 12- to 17-year-olds.
Next up is testing whether the vaccine works for even younger children. Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun U.S. studies in children ages 6 months to 11 years. Those studies explore whether babies, preschoolers and elementary-age kids will need different doses than teens and adults. Gruber said Pfizer expects its first results in the fall.
Outside of the U.S., AstraZeneca is studying its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. And in China, Sinovac recently announced that it has submitted preliminary data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.
Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill from COVID-19, yet they represent nearly 14% of the nation’s coronavirus cases. At least 296 have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. alone, and more than 15,000 have been hospitalized, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
That’s not counting the toll of family members becoming ill or dying — or the disruption to school, sports and other activities so crucial to children’s overall well-being.
The AAP welcomed the FDA’s decision.
“Our youngest generations have shouldered heavy burdens over the past year, and the vaccine is a hopeful sign that they will be able to begin to experience all the activities that are so important for their health and development,” said AAP President Dr. Lee Savio Beers in a statement.
Experts say children must get the shots if the country is to vaccinate the 70% to 85% of the population necessary to reach what’s called herd immunity.
In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated people — including children — should continue taking precautions such as wearing masks indoors and keeping their distance from other unvaccinated people outside of their households.
• Contact Dana Zigmund at dana.zigmund@juneauempire.com or 907-308-4891. The Associated Press contributed reporting.
