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CHCC waiting for CDC approval on vaccinating ages 12-15
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. is just waiting for the “green light” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Independent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to vaccinate teens with the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
This comes after the Federal Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 to 15 last May 10.
In a phone interview, CHCC chief executive officer Esther Muña said the decision will come out after today’s meeting with CDC.
“The CDC’s ACIP that will be meeting early Thursday morning, where they will be reviewing safety and efficacy data, clinical considerations for use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines in adolescents (12-15 years old) under the EUA, among others,” said Muña.
According to Muña, once a vote is made to expand the use of the vaccine and a summary of their decision and any pertinent information is shared with CHCC and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force, they will be announcing any expansion.
“We are pleased to hear of this news, and we have already been receiving calls and messages from parents anxiously waiting for us to open it to this age group. We ask for everyone’s patience to ensure this critical step of the ACIP review is completed,” said Muña.
According to the FDA, they have determined that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has met the statutory criteria to amend the EUA, and that the known and potential benefits of this vaccine in individuals 12 years of age and older outweighs the known and potential risks. FDA is supporting the vaccine’s use in the adolescent population.
Currently, CHCC is administering the Pfizer and Moderna Inc. COVID-19 vaccine to those 16 years and older.
