Pfizer and BioNTech announced that a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine provides significant protection against the Omicron variant in healthy children aged 5 to 11. The pharmaceutical companies stated on Thursday that an analysis of blood serum samples from thirty children who received a booster dose in a study showed a 36-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against Omicron. Additionally, the neutralizing antibodies effective against the original strain of the virus, for which the vaccine was designed, increased sixfold after the booster dose.
The companies indicated that they plan to submit a request for emergency use authorization for the booster dose for this age group in the United States in the coming days, followed by additional applications to global regulatory agencies such as the European Medicines Agency. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that only 28 percent of children in this age group, approximately eight million children, are fully vaccinated.
Health experts described the data as "promising," but warned that the study size was very small, stating that more data are needed to understand how effectively the booster dose prevents severe COVID-19 symptoms and reduces the need for hospitalizations in children, as well as its capability to combat potential future variants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a third dose of the vaccine this year for children aged 12 to 15 and also for those aged 5 to 11 who are immunocompromised.
