Covid vaccines for children aged between 5-11 are likely to be available from the first half of November.
In an interview with ABC’s This Week, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that the vaccines will be available between the first or second week of November.
“If all goes well, and we get the regulatory approval and the recommendation from the CDC, it’s entirely possible if not very likely that vaccines will be available for children from 5 to 11 within the first week or two of November,” Fauci said.
The revelation predicts a timetable that could see many children getting fully vaccinated before the end of the year.
Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials are reviewing the Pfizer/BioNTech application seeking authorization of its 2-dose vaccine for younger children. An outside panel will weigh in on the matter on October 26.
FDA can follow the advice of its panel but is not entitled to do so.
Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will weigh in on recommendations for the Covid vaccine at a meeting on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, helping to inform a final decision by its director.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky also said that the agency wanted to act swiftly.
“After they (FDA) are able to review all the science and conduct the regulatory action and the CDC will meet, and if all of that goes smoothly, we will act quickly. We know how many parents are interested in getting their children between 5 and 11 vaccinated and we intend to act as quickly as we can,” she told Fox news on Sunday.
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