ATAGI recommendations on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine use in children aged 5 to 11 years
A new formulation of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty) has been provisionally approved for use in children aged 5-11 years by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. This approval is based on the results of a recent clinical trial demonstrating that the vaccine is highly effective and that most side effects are mild and transient. ATAGI notes that real-world evidence on the safety of this vaccine in children aged 5-11 years is rapidly accumulating overseas, including data on the low rate of rare adverse events following immunisation, notably myocarditis, which the clinical trial was insufficiently powered to assess.
The recommended dose for this age group is 10µg (0.2mL), a third of the recommended 30µg dose for people aged ≥12 years.
ATAGI’s recommendations take into account:
- The direct benefits of vaccination for the child in preventing illness;
- The indirect benefits of vaccination for the child, their family and for the broader community. To realise some of these benefits, a large proportion of the 5-11 year age group would need to be vaccinated;
- Adequate supply of the paediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be available to vaccinate all 5-11-year-old children.
To read the recommendations in full, please click on the link below:
ATAGI recommendations on Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine use in children aged 5 to 11 years
Safety, side effects, allergies and doses. The COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year olds explained
Australian children aged 5-11 will start to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine from January 10 as recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). As part of the recommendation, children in this group will receive two 10 microgram doses (one-third of the over-12s dose), given eight weeks apart.
While this is an important step in helping to protect the community against COVID-19, safety of the vaccines will continue to be paramount and closely monitored.
This article highlights what the current trial data says about safety and efficacy, including what data we already know from real-world experience of the Pfizer vaccine in the US. Currently, more than 5 million US children aged 5-11 have received one dose and more than 2 million have had a second dose.
One safety concern of particular interest is myocarditis, a rare side effect seen after the second dose in young males aged 12-17. Reassuringly, to date, no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis have been reported in the clinical trials of 5-11-year olds.
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The Conversation: Safety, side effects, allergies and doses. The COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year olds explained
ATAGI statement on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and COVID-19 booster doses
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has released a statement regarding the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, which has been named the Omicron variant.
ATAGI have advised that there is currently no evidence to suggest that earlier booster doses of current COVID-19 vaccines will augment protection against the Omicron variant. Further to this, it will continue to closely monitor the epidemiology and emerging data on the likely impact of vaccination on this variant and update recommendations in the near future.
बयान को पूरा पढ़ने के लिए कृपया नीचे दिए गए लिंक पर क्लिक करें:
ATAGI statement on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and COVID-19 booster doses
The Conversation: Is your child frightened of needles? Here’s how to prepare them for their COVID vaccine
Most children are fearful of needles and approximately one in five kids (19%) aged 4-6 years old experience needle phobia.
A child’s initial interaction with needles in their primary years may be formative for their relationship with immunisations throughout their lives. As such, it’s important to cultivate a safe and positive vaccination experience.
This article discusses techniques and strategies to help prepare children for vaccination, including accessing professional help from play and child life therapists for those with needle phobia.
To read the full article, please follow the link below:
Is your child frightened of needles? Here’s how to prepare them for their COVID vaccine
The Conversation: How can scientists update coronavirus vaccines for omicron? A microbiologist answers 5 questions about how Moderna and Pfizer could rapidly adjust mRNA vaccines
The new Omicron variant has raised the question of whether current COVID-19 vaccines will provide sufficient protection against infection. If the virus has changed significantly, antibodies created by the original vaccine will no longer be able to recognise and defend against the new mutated variant. Consequentially, vaccines will need to be modified by swapping out the genetic code of the original spike protein for the one found on the new variant.
This article explores the scientific process behind updating mRNA vaccines including timelines and authorization procedures.
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ABC News: What you need to consider if you’re planning to travel overseas with your unvaccinated kids
With international borders now open in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, experts are urging people to plan trips carefully, especially when accompanied by unvaccinated children.
डॉ डेरिल चेंग, Fellow at the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Melbourne shares his key recommendations for parents travelling overseas with unvaccinated kids, including weighing up the risks and benefits, and the importance of being well prepared and familiar with local health systems in their travel destinations.
पूरा लेख पढ़ने के लिए नीचे दिए गए लिंक का अनुसरण करें:
What you need to consider if you’re planning to travel overseas with your unvaccinated kids
NCIRS: Annual Immunisation Coverage Report 2020 Now available
A new Annual Immunisation Coverage Report 2020 has been released by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) which examines Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) data for children, adolescents and adults.
This is the first NCIRS annual report to present whole-of-life data from the AIR, with adolescent and adult data included for the first time.
To read the full report, please click on the link below:
NCIRS: Annual Immunisation Coverage Report 2020 Now available
Omicron variant: will the COVID-19 Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca vaccines protect you?
Scientists around the world are looking at whether protective antibodies in the current COVID-19 vaccines are “sufficiently high” to cover the new Omicron strain. Additionally, the WHO and governments are assessing the severity of the new variant.
Vaccine makers, including Pfizer and Moderna have been working on “next-generation” mRNA vaccines that would be able to target particular variants circulating. Current data suggests that the COVID-19 vaccines used in Australia will protect against severe disease.
To read the full article, please click on the link below:
Omicron variant: will the COVID-19 Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca vaccines protect you?
Moderna says new vaccine for Omicron variant may be ready in early 2022
Moderna Inc. Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton has announced that they are working rapidly to test the current vaccine against the Omicron variant and studying two booster candidates.
Current data suggests that protection against the new strain still exists, depending on the length of time passed from an individual's second vaccine dose.
To read the full article, please follow the link below:
Moderna says new vaccine for Omicron variant may be ready in early 2022
Australian Academy of Science: COVID-19 vaccines and their long-term safety
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to protect ourselves and our communities. Current data and evidence confidently support the long term safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
This article discusses the various safety processes currently in place for COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that they continue to be effective in preventing severe disease.
To read the article in full, click on the link below:
COVID-19 vaccines and their long-term safety