COVID-19 Vaccine: UAE approves use of Pfizer shot on children aged 5-11

The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) has approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.

Authorities said the decision is based on evidence from clinical studies and rigorous assessment, and follows the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the vaccine’s use on children in the US last week.

According to MoHaP, the results of clinical studies indicate that the vaccine is safe and has given a strong immune response to children between the age of 5 and 11 years.

Another layer of safety in schools

Until now the Pfizer vaccine was only approved for use on children aged 12 years and older, leaving many school-age children unable to get the Pfizer shot.

Although the Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for use on children aged 3 and above in the UAE since August 2021, many parents have welcomed the move to approve the Pfizer vaccine because of the recent evidence released about its efficacy and safety.

On 22 October 2021 Pfizer released new data stating that its vaccine is almost 91% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in children aged 5 to 11.

This finding is based on studies of around 4,600 children worldwide, of whom approximately 3,100 got the vaccine, and about 1,500 got a placebo.

The dosage for children aged 11 and under is one-third of the dose given to kids and adults aged 12 and above, but it is also administered in two shots given 21 days apart.

 

The study found that the immune system response seen in younger children, measured by antibodies, was comparable to the response seen in 16-25-year-olds. The antibodies produced demonstrated an ability to neutralise the delta variant, according to the research.

The studies have also found the vaccine to be safe, with similar or more mild side effects – such as a sore arm, fever or achiness – than older children and adults tend to experience.

Why give children the COVID-19 vaccine?

While children are at a lower risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 than adults, 5-to-11-year-olds have still been seriously affected in countries across the world, and there have been more than 100 deaths of children due to COVID-19 in the UK.

COVID-19 was the highest killer of kids in the 5-11 age group in the US over the past year, according to committee member from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Amanda Cohn.

In England the return to school led to a surge in COVID-19 cases among children, with more than 300 kids and teens aged 17 years and under hospitalised for the virus in late October 2021.

While no such surge has been reported amongst schools in the UAE, the move to approve the Pfizer vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 stems from the Ministry’s emphasise on the importance of vaccination against COVID-19, and as part of the efforts to expand the nation-wide vaccination campaign and to accelerate the recovery process.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention in the UAE also announced that it will start providing booster dose for those who have received the Pfizer-BioNtech and Sputnik vaccines – for people with chronic diseases who are at risk of complications. It will be provided to all of people in the age group of 18 to 49; and in the age group of 18-59 for individuals working in the front line.