COVID Vaccines Should Be Given To MD Kids Under 5: FDA Advisers

MARYLAND — The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are safe for kids younger than age 5, an expert panel of advisers for the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

The vaccines still need to be authorized by the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before they can be administered to Maryland youngsters.

In Maryland, there are currently 10 kids hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the state COVID dashboard. About 106,220 cases in kids under 9 have been confirmed in Maryland throughout the pandemic, and six have died from COVID-19, according to state data.

Johns Hopkins Medicine recently posted that the health system encourages all families to have eligible children vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We encourage you to use all available local and state resources, including retail pharmacies, to get the COVID-19 vaccine. You can also review our resources to help find a vaccination site for your child," Johns Hopkins Medicine said.

Since April 2021, there have been more than a thousand reports of cases of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) happening after some COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States, according to the CDC.

Considering the hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses that have been administered, these reports are very rare, Johns Hopkins said. The problem occurs more often in adolescents (teens) and young adults, and in males.

The myocarditis or pericarditis in almost all cases is mild and resolves quickly, the Maryland health system said.

“Children exposed to the coronavirus who are vaccinated are less likely to get infected, and so are more likely to be able to continue participating with less disruptions to school attendance and other activities," Dr. Anna Christina Sick-Samuels of Johns Hopkins said.

The FDA posted analyses over the past week that showed Pfizer and Moderna shots for young kids are safe and effective — the panel recommendation on Wednesday was intended to serve as an important step in vetting the shots in public, though the FDA was not required to follow the recommendation, AP reported.

The same advisory group that approved the shots for kids under 5 said Tuesday that Moderna's vaccine is safe and effective enough to give kids ages 6 to 17, after it was held up for months while the FDA investigated a rare side effect, heart inflammation, in teens, according to the Associated Press.

The vote Tuesday said that two doses — full-strength for 12-17 and half-sized doses for those 6-11 — are safe for kids kids ages 6 to 17.

"The data do support that the benefits outweigh the risks for both of these doses, in both of these age groups," said the CDC's Dr. Melinda Wharton, a member of the panel, according to the AP.

The Moderna vaccine would be for children six months through 5 years.

Maryland currently has an overall positivity rate of 7.93 percent.

Find a vaccination clinic in Maryland.