Beaumont doctor says vaccines for young children a good idea, despite very small death numbers

FOX 2 - It might be the news many are waiting on - promising results from drugmaker Pfizer when it comes to testing the vaccine on younger children. FOX 2 talked to the infectious disease expert about the data.

The vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 gets one step closer to a possibility. Pfizer says their research shows their vaccine works in that age group. What do we know about vaccinating younger kids?  

Dr. Matthew Sims, the director of infectious disease research for Beaumont Health.

As kids return to school this might be the news parents and teachers are waiting for. Pffizer says its data now shows their vaccine gives kids the same level of antibodies as teenagers and young adults.  

"They used a different dose regime based on their size, their ability to metabolize things, and they used about a third of the adult dose," said Dr. Sims. "Then they followed the kids, to see how many with placebos got Covid, how many with the vaccine got Covid, they watched to see how much antibodies got made."

And after the testing of the vaccine on about 2,200 kids ages 5-11, Pfizer says it's safe and well-tolerated.

FOX 2 asked Dr. Sims why should children get this vaccine if they make up just 0.1 percent of all covid deaths?

"It's not only about death, right? It's about keeping them healthy, keeping them in school, preventing outbreaks in the school, preventing them from carrying it and bringing it home to their family, (spreading it) to adults who are at higher risk," Sims said. "I think you can make the argument with this population, you want to see zero deaths. While deaths are not common among kids, we have seen kids get Covid and die. t's a tragedy that can be avoided."

Next we wait for the FDA to review the formal data - and then see what the recommendation is.