PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — When will a COVID-19 vaccine be ready for children under 5 years old?
That question looms large as the U.S. and the rest of the world try to immunize as many people as possible against the coronavirus, especially as the omicron variant spreads at an alarming speed.
"We might be looking at vaccines [in] six months," said Dr. Jennifer Hamilton, Professor of Family, Community, and Preventative Medicine at Drexel University. "Hopefully, sometime this spring."
Pfizer and Moderna are among pharmaceutical companies working on shots for kids 4 years old and younger.
According to Dr. Hamilton, Pfizer went back to the drawing board after its initial trial didn't provide enough protection. Moderna, she said, hopes to present data to the FDA by the end of the month.
"Part of the difficulty is that the immune system of a very young child is different," said Dr. Hamilton. "You want to make sure that you [give] a dose that's strong enough to be effective."
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Mortality rate is another factor impacting the vaccine rollout for kids 0 to 4.
"At this point, we've had over 800,000 people in the U.S. die from COVID-19. Of that, under 800 have been children 12 and under," Dr. Hamilton said.
"If you're doing the cost-benefit analysis, you really, really, really want to take time, and make sure the vaccine is as safe as it can possibly [be] before you send it out into the world."
With omicron surging throughout the region, Dr. Hamilton spoke about the variant in matter-of-fact tones. She said that most of the time, it affects children like a bad cold or the flu.
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"Even though it's something to be concerned about and something to be thoughtful about, it's not something to think, 'If my child gets it, they're going to wind up in the hospital,’” Dr. Hamilton said.
"Most of the time, kids get sick for a couple of days, and then they get better."
Only in more severe cases, when there is a fever and when breathing becomes an issue, are children going to the hospital.
"Omicron seems to be affecting the airways up in the mouth and the top of the chest more than it is affecting problems deep in the lungs," said Dr. Hamilton.
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"Kids' breathing passages are narrower, so they're more likely to have wheezing, a hard time getting air into the lungs, even though their lungs might be ok."
As testing continues, Dr. Hamilton is telling parents to be smart and vigilant. She said if kids are old enough to wear masks, they should wear masks, and so should the adults they come in contact with.
"This is not the time when I would gather with 10,000 of my closest friends," said Dr. Hamilton. "Keep it small, stay with one other group of friends maybe, and just limit your exposure as a family."
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