FDA Approves COVID Vaccine For Kids 12+: What It Means In NJ

NEW JERSEY — COVID-19 vaccines are headed for more kids as U.S. regulators on Monday expanded use of Pfizer's shot to those as young as 12, sparking a race to protect middle and high school students before they head back to class in the fall.

Shots could begin as soon as a CDC federal vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations for using the two-dose vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds, expected Wednesday. And here in the Garden State, Governor Phil Murphy says New Jersey is prepared.

"We anticipate being able to transition to vaccinating eligible adolescents as soon as Pfizer receives its emergency use authorization," Murphy said.

Murphy said children may be able to get vaccinated in one of the following ways:

• through partnerships with schools;
• pediatricians;
• local pharmacies;
• at mega-sites;
• using the state's COVID-19 mega-sites to bring doses directly to the communities where the children live; and
• Walgreens, which is already vaccinating residents ages 16-and-up;

Parents would be kept informed about the vaccination campaign in a number of ways, including through their schools, Murphy said. The Department of Health is currently working on formal plans to keep parents, guardians and practitioners informed.

"This is a watershed moment in our ability to fight back the COVID-19 pandemic," Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president who's also a pediatrician, told The Associated Press.

The Food and Drug Administration declared the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The study found no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among kids given dummy shots. More intriguing, researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.

The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech recently requested similar authorization in the European Union, with other countries to follow.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet Wednesday, and make a recommendation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Persichilli said.

"The Department of Health has already been thinking ahead for this eventuality," Murphy said. "The department's overall goal is to ensure that adolescents who are eligible to be vaccinated receive their doses in an environment that is comforting and accessible."

Looking ahead, clinical trials for a vaccine that can be used for residents as young as 2 years old are ongoing, according to Department of Health Communicable Disease Service Medical Director Dr. Edward Lifshitz.

"So by this fall, there may be a vaccine authorized for patients that young, but I wouldn't expect anything earlier than that," Lifshitz said.

Vaccinating students would go toward Murphy's goal of having everyone return to in-person learning full-time for the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Murphy has also been advocating for a full return to classroom instruction, possibly by the end of the 2020-21 school year.

"We want to see schools back in person, and we are highly confident we can do that safely and responsibly," Murphy said on Monday.

As of Monday, 338 school districts were open for in-person learning full time, while 13 were still using an all-remote format.

This post contains reporting by Anthony Bellano

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