蜜芽传媒

Paediatric doctors could soon find themselves on the front lines of a US government plan to get some 28 million school-aged children in line for their coronavirus jabs.

Advisory boards to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday decided that the benefits of jabbing children between five and 11 years old with the Pfizer vaccine outweigh any other health risks.

The decision now awaits approval from the full FDA and CDC. Both agencies are expected to follow the vaccine panel's recommendation.

Data from the company's clinical trials found that a paediatric dose of the vaccine - one third of that given to adults and adolescents - was safe and 90% effective.

If health officials approve the jab, 15 million doses will go out to paediatric offices, children's hospitals and pharmacies around the country.

So how much of a risk is Covid to children in the US? Dr Jay Portnoy is from Children鈥檚 Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. He tells us that the FDA has decided that the risk to children from catching Covid is higher than the risk of getting the vaccine.

"I work at a children's hospital, our hospital now is full. We have a lot of Covid patients and a lot of patients with other viral infections... we've had to open another campus of the hospital in order to accommodate all the patients who are sick."

Photo shows: A child receiving a vaccination. Credit: Getty Images

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