Vaccines for kids likely this year, FDA officer says

The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine chief says the agency will rapidly evaluate COVID-19 vaccinations for younger children as soon as it gets the needed data — and won’t cut corners.

Dr. Peter Marks told the Associated Press he is “very, very hopeful” that vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds will be under way by year’s end. Maybe sooner: One company, Pfizer, is expected to turn over its study results by the end of September, and Marks said the agency hopefully could analyze them “in a matter of weeks.”

In the U.S., anyone 12 and older is eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. But with schools reopening and the delta variant causing more infections among kids, many parents are anxiously wondering when younger children can get the shots.

Pfizer’s German partner BioNTech told weekly Der Spiegel on Friday that it was on track “in the coming weeks” to seek approval of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds. Moderna, which makes a second U.S. vaccine, told investors last week to expect its data on that age group by year’s end. Both companies also are testing their vaccines down to age 6 months, but those results will come later.

Czarek Sokolowski / Associated Press Medical workers block a road in Warsaw during a rally seeking higher wages and better working conditions. The pandemic has stressed Poland’s already-strapped health care sector.