Mrinalika and Manojna Addipatla

(Reuters) – Friday’s recommendation by the World Health Organization was to increase the dosage of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 5 and 11 years.

This recommendation is based on the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts’ (SAGE) meeting that was held on Wednesday, to assess the vaccine. It’s currently advised for people 12 and older.

It is suggested that the recommended dose for younger patients be 10 micrograms, as opposed to 30 micrograms given to people aged 12 or older.

Alejandro Cravioto (SAGE chairman) stated at briefing that “this age group (5-11), is in the lowest priority vaccination use group, except for co-morbidities.”

Pfizer/BioNTech shot approvals have been granted in several countries such as the United States of America, Canada and Israel for this age group.

Kate O’Brien from WHO, the WHO’s vaccine Director, stated there was no safety concern regarding Pfizer’s vaccine when it is administered in children 5 to 11 years of age in clinical trials.

In high-priority populations such as older people and healthcare workers, the panel recommended booster doses (up to six months) of Pfizer’s vaccine.

High vaccination rates in countries should prioritize the availability of vaccine supply. This will allow them to attain high levels of booster coverage in high risk populations before offering lower doses.

Cravioto stated that a higher coverage of booster vaccines for high-risk priority groups is likely to result in fewer severe diseases and deaths than a similar vaccination increase.

Cravioto explained that the revised priority list for COVID vaccinations was based on the availability of more vaccines and current coverage, as well the existence of other variants of concern.

According to the panel, Pfizer’s booster dose recommendation was for specific priority groups only and it wasn’t endorsing “unfettered” use at all ages.

O’Brien stated that there is no evidence to support the use of boosters in children younger than 12 years old.