Live Q&A: Prof Robert Booy answers vaccines for children questions

Children under the age of 12 are a step closer to being immunised against Covid. Adolescent epidemiologist Professor Robert Booy answered all your vaccine questions in a live Q&A. See them here.

Children under the age of 12 are a step closer to being immunised against Covid-19 – with the latest trial of the Pfizer vaccine showing it is successful in children with no dangerous side effects.

Clinical trials conducted on about 2300 American children — aged five to 11 — found the vaccine generated a “robust” immune response.

The results proved the vaccine to be “safe, well tolerated and showed robust neutralising antibody responses”.

Children were given two doses, 21 days apart, with the doses being smaller than those given to adults.

A “strong immune response” was noted one month after the second dose, with the antibody levels sitting at a similar rate to those seen in 16 to 25-year-olds in previous trials.

Adolescent epidemiologist Professor Robert Booy believes more research should be done to determine if the vaccine could generate rare side effects in children. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The company will now submit the findings to regulatory bodies around the world including America’s Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency.

“We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorisation, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said.

Adolescent epidemiologist Professor Robert Booy said more research needed to be done to determine if the vaccine could generate rare side effects in children — but believes the initial results are a promising sign.

The view is in line with the UK government whose advisers are eager to see more data on children’s risk of getting myocarditis or pericarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle and the heart lining respectively.

Kids aged 5-11 are a step closer to being immunised against Covid-19

“It’s important for Australia to wait and see the experience in reality with millions of US children so we can be confident that there are no rare side effects to worry about,” Prof Booy said.

“Teenagers, especially boys, are at more of a risk of myocarditis that young adults. We need to look at the possibility of that occurring in younger children.

“We already have experience with 10 million teenagers safely vaccinated in the United States and that’s why the recent program (of vaccinating Australian teens) is based on confidence in safety.”

Prof Booy said children and teenagers typically have stronger immune systems than adults and respond better to vaccines.

Adolescent epidemiologist Professor Robert Booy answered all your vaccine questions in a live Q&A for Daily Telegraph readers on Wednesday. Read them in the comments below.