Pfizer says kid-size doses of its Covid-19 vaccine are safe and nearly 91 percent effective at preventing infections in elementary school children. It can protect from symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds, according to study details released Friday as the U.S. considers opening vaccinations to that age group.
The shots could begin early next month — with the first children in line fully protected by Christmas — if regulators give the go-ahead.
Details of Pfizer’s study were posted online on Friday. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will publicly debate the evidence next week.
Pfizer’s study of younger kids found the low-dose shots proved safe, with similar or fewer temporary side effects such as sore arms, fever or achiness that teens experience. The study isn’t large enough to detect any extremely rare side effects, such as the heart inflammation that occasionally occurs after the second dose, mostly in young men.
