After two years of being surrounded by the coronavirus and its never-ending emerging variants, including natural disasters, this year appears to be less kind than we hoped for, as Omicron cases have been on the rise recently.
Leaving all of that aside, the good news is that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children aged 5 to 11.
The Covid-19 Comirnaty vaccine, developed by Pfizer, has been given conditional approval for the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years old, according to health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
According to Malay Mail, this decision was taken during the 368th meeting of the Drug Control Authority (DCA) on 6th January.
“The Comirnaty 10mcg Concentrate for Dispersion for Injection has been approved for Covid-19 immunisation to children aged five to 11.”
The Comirnaty (Tris/Sucrose) 30mcg dose with a novel formulation for Covid-19 vaccination of persons aged 12 and above was also authorised at this meeting.
According to Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, the new formulation did not require dilution before administration and had a 10-week shelf life compared to the current formulation, which had a one-month shelf life when stored at 2°C to 8°C after thawing.
He informed Malay Mail that the conditional approval still required information on the vaccine’s quality, safety, and efficacy to be monitored and assessed by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) on a regular basis using the most up-to-date data.
The booster shot might be given three to six months following the initial dose of the same vaccination.
Malaysia, which has one of the highest immunisation rates in Southeast Asia, reduced waiting periods last week in an effort to encourage more people to be vaccinated against the highly contagious Omicron strain of the coronavirus.
According to official data taken from government statistics, the majority of individuals in our nation have received both doses of vaccine, with 98 percent of adults and 88 percent of teenagers aged 12-17.
Children, like adults, can spread the coronavirus to others if they are contaminated, even if they show no symptoms. The Covid-19 vaccination can protect the kid and others, lowering the risk of spreading the virus to others.
Prepare to get your Pfizer shot, kids.
