Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has started its clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines on infants. The youngest among the participants is an eight-month-old baby from Baldwinsville, New York.
Last month, Science Times reported that a boy died due to COVID-19 when on vacation with his vaccinated parents to Hawaii, becoming the first pediatric death in the state due to the deadly infection.
Incidents like that are the motivation for vaccine providers to develop COVID-19 vaccines that are tailored to children and adolescents.
Pfizer seeks FDA approval for the vaccination of children ages two to 11. The pharmaceutical company also expects to have COVID-19 vaccines for babies between ages six months to two years.
What Ages Has the COVID-19 Vaccine Been Authorized?
Existing COVID-19 vaccines are currently only authorized to be used on adults aged 18 and up. The three leading pharmaceutical companies that have developed COVID-19 vaccines have begun their clinical trials for younger kids and infants.
According to Connecticut Children's healthcare website, the clinical trial data on children as young as two years old will be released in September or October this year. It is also possible that vaccine information on babies ages six months to two years could be available by the end of the year.
Children do not receive the same vaccine as adults because their immune systems are different. Immune responses could vary at different ages, from infancy through adolescence, so research on the COVID-19 vaccine for older ages has to be repeated in children of younger ages.
World's Youngest Recipient of COVID-19 Vaccine
Vincenzo "Enzo" Mincolla is the world's youngest recipient of the COVID-19 vaccine after receiving the second dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine last week.
His parents, Mike and Marissa Mincolla, are both doctors from Baldwinsville, New York who had no qualms about their eight-month-old son being administered with two doses of the vaccine at Upstate Medical University, according to Newsweek's report.
"We both feel it's important to end this pandemic, and the quickest and safest way is to vaccinate our way out of it," Mike Mincolla said, according to Syracuse.com.
Enzo received his first jab three weeks prior to the second jab when he was only seven months old, the youngest on the record to have received the COVID-19 vaccine according to infectious disease expert Dr. Joseph Domashowske.
He is one of the 16 babies involved in Pfizer's phase one clinical trial at four sites in the US for children under five years old to test the possible effects of the vaccine on children.
Mike said that their son did not experience any side effects from the vaccine. He ate normally and was not irritable. He hoped that their son's experience will ease concerns among his patients who are reluctant to get vaccinated.
As of now, Pfizer temporarily halted its clinical trials to determine whether they are giving the right dosage for their infant participants.
Check out more news and information on COVID-19 Vaccines on Science Times.
