It was a unanimous decision and it’s being reported as such to further nudge the vaccine hesitant.
The U.S. moved a step closer to expanding COVID-19 vaccinations for millions more children as a panel of government advisers on Tuesday endorsed kid-size doses of Pfizer’s shots for 5- to 11-year-olds. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted unanimously, with one abstention, that the vaccine’s benefits in preventing COVID-19 in that age group outweigh any potential risks — including a heart-related side effect that’s been very rare in teens and young adults despite their use of a much higher shot dose.
— PBS/AP, 10/26/21
Counting on the fact most Americans didn’t see the testimonies and deliberations because a federal committee meeting with this much on the line wasn’t broadcast live, the immediate perception is that it was a slam dunk. Granted, it was by way of final votes but there were segments the public should have had the opportunity to hear.
Segments that would have inserted some reasonable doubt as to the wisdom of giving healthy children an experimental vaccine with no real knowledge of how it will affect them today and tomorrow….
Following today’s vote, acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock is expected to shortly deliver the agency’s final determination on whether to authorize the vaccine for this age group. Once the FDA gives final approval, the next step is for a CDC vaccine expert panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, to review the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. That group would then vote on whether CDC Director Rochelle Walensky should recommend its use. The CDC committee is scheduled to meet on Nov. 2, and the CDC director will likely announce a final decision within hours, meaning these vaccines could be available as early as Nov. 3.
— Yahoo News, 10/26/21
And you know that means many states will mandate as soon as they can.
For the children….
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