INDIANAPOLIS — State health officials have announced that they will expand eligibility for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12 after a federal advisory committee recommended the shots for that age group Wednesday.
Starting at 8 a.m. today, parents or legal guardians can expect to be able to register their 12- to 15-year-olds for vaccine appointments on the state’s online portal, ourshot.in.gov, said Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer at the Indiana State Department of Health, during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Additionally, children ages 12 to 15 will be allowed to walk-in without an appointment at any Pfizer vaccination clinic in the state. That includes Columbus Regional Health’s clinic, 1702 Kellar Ave., which is the only site administering the Pfizer vaccine in Bartholomew County.
A parent or guardian must accompany children age 12 to 15 to the vaccination site, Weaver said.
“Today marks the next step in our efforts to protect more Hoosiers against COVID-19,” Weaver said.
The announcement came days after the Food and Drug Administration declared that 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 Associated Press reported.
The agency noted there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared with those who were given placebo shots, according to wire reports. More intriguing, researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.
Canada recently became the first country to expand use of the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 12 and up.
However, Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine, according to wire reports. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects. Another U.S. company, Novavax, has a COVID-19 vaccine in late-stage development and just began a study in 12- to 17-year-olds.
Next up is testing whether the vaccine works for even younger children, according to wire reports. Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun U.S. studies in children ages 6 months to 11 years. Those studies explore whether babies, preschoolers and elementary-age kids will need different doses than teens and adults. Gruber said Pfizer expects its first results in the fall.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
