Kids younger than five have to wait for a few months more before getting the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, the FDA postponed the meeting, which disappointed many parents. The agency said that it needs more data from Pfizer before proceeding.
As the number of new cases falls in the parts of the country and the ‘new normal’ seems to spread throughout the state, some parents feel that a part of the population has been left behind.
Pfizer and FDA say that the vaccines are not ready yet because the new data is yet to arrive about the shots for kids.
The FDA had planned to discuss the vaccine on Tuesday; however, it was postponed due to requests made by BioNTech and Pfizer. Initially, Pfizer had asked for a two-dose vaccine for children six months to four years. However, now it says that there is new data due to which they had to postpone the vaccination for the age group.
The announcement means that there will be nearly 18 million kids across the state who will have to wait even longer for their vaccine doses. Kids under the age of 5 are the only age group in the country that cannot avail of the vaccine.
The delay gives the organization time to evaluate the additional data, “allowing for a transparent public discussion as part of our usual scientific and regulatory processes for COVID-19 vaccines.”
Since Pfizer withdrew its FDA application, Lester’s daughters are one step away from getting the vaccines and are more likely to quarantine themselves in child care. Lester still has to pay for the childcare regardless.
Lester thought about leaving her job for the first time, and she’s not the only one in this.
As per the National Women’s Law Center, since February 2020, more than 4 million jobs have been lost- and 57% of them are women.
That concern was much of the reason why Lester, like many other parents, was so hopeful about getting their daughters vaccinated.
The experts believe that it was the right decision to postpone the vaccination. The FDA will not have sufficient data until the spring to judge whether the COVID-19 vaccine is safer for kids below 5.