As far as statistics go, the under-5 age group seems to be the absolute least susceptible to serious or deadly infection from Covid-19. They’re in even better shape than the under-18 group in general. However, for some reason, the Biden administration, through the FDA, is pushing Pfizer to apply for emergency use authorization of its mRNA Covid-19 vaccine for use in children from age 6 months to 5 years.
Perhaps it’s due to the Covid vaccine absolutist attitude coming from the Biden administration, or perhaps it’s simply the ongoing desire to make sure that every age group is able to get vaccinated if they want to:
U.S. regulators are urging drugmaker Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a three-dose course, aiming to clear the way for the shots as soon as late February, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press Monday.
The company’s application was expected to be submitted as soon as Tuesday.
The push-pull forces seem to be going in the wrong direction. Why is the FDA so urgent in asking Pfizer to submit an emergency use application for kids under 5?
This would seem like a glaring instance where the executive branch is clearly pushing a political agenda by imposing its own “science” on Pfizer:
Now, the Food and Drug Administration is pushing the company to submit its application based on the two-dose data for potential approval in February, and then to return for additional authorization once it has the data from the third dose study, which is expected in March, the person familiar with the matter said. The two-step authorization process could mean that young children could be vaccinated more than a month earlier than previous estimates, assuming the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention greenlight the shots.
If Covid vaccinations do not stop the spread of infection, and children under 5 are at nominal risk of serious illness, why push so hard for approval? Biden dropped the ball on providing expansive access to rapid testing, and his plan for the winter surge fell apart back in December as too little, too late.
Has Biden been focused on all the wrong things for the past year? Of course! Just look at this sentence buried in the AP article:
Speeding the authorization of pediatric vaccines against COVID-19 has been a priority for more than a year of the Biden administration, which believes them critical to reopening and keeping open schools and day care centers — and for freeing up parents occupied by childcare responsibilities to return to the workforce.
With regard to keeping children safe, there is very little actual “science” to support the expedited need for Covid vaccine approval for children under 5. The likelihood is that the political science of the situation is outweighing the medical science, as has been the case with Democrats from the start of the pandemic in March of 2020.
Some countries are coming to different conclusions on childhood Covid vaccinations. Sweden, for example, is tapping the breaks due to a lack of benefit in vaccinating kids in the 5 to 11 age range, let alone children under 5:
?? Sweden is not recommending COVID-19 vaccination of non high-risk children 5-11 "'With a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don't see any clear benefit with vaccinating them' Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference."https://t.co/sXDVabnPiz
— Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD (@TracyBethHoeg) January 27, 2022
No doubt there are parents eagerly awaiting the green light to vaccinate their 2-year-old, and they should have the chance if they want it. The science does not, however, support reallocating resources or efforts into pushing this anywhere near the front of the line.
Compared to the need for more rapid testing availability, more therapeutic availability, and more development of monoclonal antibodies to fight variants like Omicron, Covid vaccines for young children, the least susceptible group in the population, seems like a political maneuver intended for an easy layup dunk by the White House.
It’s strange that when the Biden administration pushes influence on drugmakers and imposes its own “science,” no one seems to mind. When they accused the Trump administration of the same thing, it was front-page news for a month straight.
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