ERIKA: IT IS NEWS MANY OF US HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. PFIZER ANNOUNCES TODAY ITS VACCINE PRODUCES A ROBUST IMMUNE RESPONSE IN YOUNGER CHILDREN, AND IT’S SAFE. BEN: FINALLY. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. ROBERT DUNCAN, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT LAHEY HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENR.TE YOU ARE TALKING TO TWO PARENTS WITH KIDS UNDER 12. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. >> THANKS. BEEN THERE, DONE THE. — TT.HA I AM NO PEDIATRICIAN, I WILL JUST SAY RIGHTP U FRONT, BUT I THINK I CAN ANSWER SOME OF THIS. BEN: FIRST OFF, THIS DOSE RFO KIDS AGE 5-TO-11 IS SMALLER THAN THE ONE ADMINISTERED TO PEOPLE AGE 12 AND OLDER. IS THAT UNUSUAL? >> SO ARE THEY. I THINK THAT IS VERY REASONABLE. . THAT IS STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. THE KIDS HAVE REALLY ROBUST IMMUNE SYSTEMS. THEY ARE GOOD AT REACTING TO FOREIGN MATERIAL. AND THE VACCINES ARE EXTREMELY INNTFA — EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE IN THEM. I THINK WE HAVE TO ESTABLISH HOW THIS VACCINE WORKS, HOW WELL IT WORKS. I THI WNKE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY. ERIKA: YEAH. TODAY’S RESULTS ARE THE FIRST WE’VE SEEN ABOUT A VACCINE FOR THIS AGE GRO.UP WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS? OR READING ABOUT THEM AT LEAST FROM PFIZER AND DO YOU KNOW IF THEY’RE MORE COMMON AFTER THE SECOND DOSE? DR. DUNCAN: YEA IH, THINK WHAT I WOULD SAY UP FRONT IS THE INFORMATION FROM PFIZER IS A PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT. THEY HAVE NOT RELEASED THEIR DATA YET. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REVIEW THOSE IN DETAIL. IT IS HARD TO SAY EXACTLY. I THINK IT IS PREDICTABLE THAT THE SIDE EFFECTS WILL BE MINOR COMPARED TO THE ILLNESS. ATTH THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE SIGNIFICANT AFTER THE SECOND DOSE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE GET AWAY WITHOUT A PROBLEM AT ALL OTHER THAN A SORE A.RM OR A DAY OR TWO OF FEELING CRUMMY. WE WAIT TO SEE THAT, I THINK THAT IS A LOT OF WHAT WE ARE WAITING FOR, TO SEE T AHECTUAL DATA. BEN: PFIZER SAYS THE WAIT TIME BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND DOSE FOR KIDS IS THREE WEEKS, SAME AS THE ADULTS. AND OLDER CHILDREN. BUT THERE’S BEEN SOME DATA RECENTLY THAT SUGGESTS WAITING EVEN LONGER BETWEEN DOSES CODUL — MODERNA’S PERFORMED VERY WELL, AND THAT IS A LONGER GAP, DO YOU THINK THAT IS SOMETHING, IN LONGER GAP BETWEEN THE DOSES THAT THE CDC OR FDA WILL CONSIDER? DR. DUNCAN: THAT HAS BEEN A STRATEGY THAT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED IN A VARIETY OF PLACES. THE U.K., FOR INSTANCE. THE UNITED KINGDOM STRETCHED THAT OUT ON THE THEORY THAT THEY MIGHTET G A MORE ROBUST RESPONSE, AND THEY WOULD GET — THEY COULD GE IVTHE VACCINE TO MORE PEOPLE AND GET SOME PROTECTION BOOSTING THAT LATER ON,OR F EXPANDING THAT PROTECTION LATER ON WITH A LARTE DOSE. THE RISK YOU TAKE WITH THAT IS THE FIRST DOSE IS NOT AS EFFECTIVE TASWO DOSES. SO YOU ARE SORT OF GAMBLINGHA TT YOU GET A BETTER POPULATION AFFECT WITH A DELAYED DOSE, BUT YOU DON’T GET AS IMMEDIATE A PROTECVETI EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE ALREADY REACHED FOR VACCINATION. THI INK IT IS VERY REASONABLE TO STICK WITH THE USUAL SCHEDULE THEY PLAN. AND TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, GET IT DONE AND OUT-OF-THE-WAY, AND I THINK YOU GET THE BEST RESPONSE THAT WAY. I THINK WE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS OTHERWISE. ERIKA: ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. WE ARE VYER HOPEF

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Video: Massachusetts doctor answers questions about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for young children

Updated: 6:20 PM EDT Sep 20, 2021

Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children ages 5 to 11, but Dr. Robert Duncan says experts are still waiting for the company to release data from its studies.

BOSTON —

Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children ages 5 to 11, but Dr. Robert Duncan says experts are still waiting for the company to release data from its studies.

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