| Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine — two shots given on the same schedule as the vaccine for adolescents and adults — could soon be authorized for younger children. The only difference? The size of the dose.
Pfizer has received FDA authorization of its 10-microgram dose for 5- to 11-year-olds. Meanwhile, the dose used for people 12 years and older is 30 micrograms.
This week, Moderna released initial results for a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 6-11 that's half the size of its shot for adults.
So, what's the reason for the dosage difference?
First, the goal of vaccine trials for all ages is to find the smallest level of antigen, which triggers an immune response, to provide the most protection without side effects.
“We think that we have optimized immune response and minimized reactions,” Pfizer senior vice president Dr. William Gruber told the FDA’s vaccine advisers’ Tuesday about the company’s COVID-19 vaccine for younger children.
Experts note vaccine dosage isn't about the size of the child, but the fact that the immune system weakens with age.
“Kids actually tend to have very robust immune responses,” said Dr. Kari Simonsen who has been leading the trial of the Pfizer vaccine at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. “In some cases, they can actually create strong responses to smaller amounts of vaccine antigen.”
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