Lack of COVID Vaccines for Babies, Toddlers Leaves Parents, Teachers, Caregivers Frustrated

Many parents and caregivers feel hopeless and frustrated about the continuous lack of COVID vaccines for babies and toddlers. Buzzfeed News sought their points of view regarding the vaccine delay for young children, receiving over 1,000 responses from people who interact with and take care of babies.

The majority of those who responded to the question felt isolated in creating a COVID vaccine suitable for babies and toddlers. Anne, a mother of a two-year-old child, told the website that the world had abandoned them. Lauren, a mom to an 11-month-old, echoed those sentiments, saying that they feel like they are screaming into the void.

Kelly, a mother to a 1-year-old in Colorado, said that she keeps dreaming that the vaccine approval does happen and that her child will, at last, be vaccinated. Kelly added that she cries a lot during showers and always wakes up so desperate because of the COVID vaccine delay. 

Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids hits FDA roadblock

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was expected to authorize the use of Pfizer's COVID vaccine for children ages six months to 4 years old back in February, but those plans were abruptly changed when the federal agency indefinitely postponed a meeting regarding its approval.

Carrie Knight, a mother of three from Virginia, told the website that fatigue had replaced resiliency when battling COVID. Knight said they were all in it together back in March 2020 when the pandemic started, but she feels there is a chasm between them two years later.

Thus far, clinical trials have suggested that two doses of a 3-microgram COVID vaccine, which is one-third the amount for an adult dose, were deemed safe and effective for babies ages six months to one year. However, that vaccine dosage for kids ages 2 to 4 did not offer enough protection for them against COVID-19, although that jab was shown to be safe.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is now reviewing the efficacy of a third dose of the COVID vaccine, given to children two months after the second dose. According to a spokesperson for Pfizer, adding a third shot may offer a higher degree of protection against COVID and maximize the vaccine's risk-benefit profile.

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Pfizer and Moderna to release COVID vaccine for kids in the coming months

Pfizer said the data regarding this study should be ready by around the early part of April, which could probably mean that vaccines will be made available to kids under the age of five around that same period. Pfizer already has made available COVID vaccines to kids ages five and up.

Pfizer's rival, Moderna, has just released its data this week on COVID vaccines for children under six. The company's vaccine, which is 25 micrograms or a quarter of the amount for an adult dose, was found to be 43.7 percent effective against COVID infection primarily caused by the Omicron variant in children six months to two years old and 37.5 percent effective in kids who are 2 to 5 years old.

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