On, Tuesday, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the third dose of Pfizer/BioNTech′s COVID-19 vaccine among children aged 5 to 11 years. A dose of 10µg was authorized to be given to the children under emergency use permission (EUA) with a minimum of 5 months gap between the initial vaccine doses.

According to experts, the Omicron wave infected more children and got them hospitalized, also youngsters might suffer long-term consequences, even if the disease showed mild symptoms initially.

As, per the statement of the FDA, an increase in the antibody levels against the SARS-CoV-2 virus was observed among 67 study participants, 1-month post administration of the third dosage with a gap of 7 to 9 months. Previously Pfizer/BioNTech had shared data on the effect of the third dose in phase II/III clinical trial including 140 children aged 5 to 11 and in a subgroup comprising 30 kids who were infected by Omicron. It was observed that the neutralizing antibody titers increased 36-fold in the subgroup.

Furthermore, among 401 children who received the booster dosage at least 5 months following the primary doses, no major adverse effects were reported. Lethargy, headaches, fevers, and joint and muscle discomfort were also common adverse effects. (MedPage Today May 17, 2022)