"The vaccination for children will come in about six months"
March 19, 2021, 11:07 am
Children are not yet allowed to receive the corona vaccination. This could change soon. That is Swissmedic's stance.
So far, the vaccination has only been tested on elderly people.
The approval of Astrazeneca is still a long time coming.
You can't hope for the vaccination just yet: children. Because the vaccination studies have so far only taken place with adults, vaccines for children are not yet approved. Moderna has already started its first studies with children.
How long will it be before the little ones are vaccinated too? "It may take another six months before the relevant studies are completed to allow vaccines for children as well," said Philippe Girard, deputy director of Swissmedic, to the "Tages-Anzeiger". Some manufacturers are currently still studying.
Particularly carefully
Vaccination for children is central to the further course of the pandemic. "Approval for children could be important for future herd immunity," says Girard.
But first the relevant studies have to be found. “Children are a particularly vulnerable group, which is why clinical studies must be carried out with particular care. We need reliable and meaningful data in order to be able to approve changes to the authorization, including for children, within a few weeks ”, says the Swissmedic Vice President.
What about Astrazeneca?
Vaccination approval for children is not the only approval that Swissmedic is currently working on. The approval of the Astrazeneca vaccine is also causing heated discussions in Switzerland . Girard wants to wait for more data from overseas before making a decision. "The approval of Astrazeneca only for younger people is definitely an option," he says. (lui)