FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 20, 2021
CONTACT: Chris Boyle, Director of Communications
(860) 706-9654 – christopher.boyle@ct.gov
Connecticut Department Of Public Health Issues Statement Regarding
Pfizer’s Update On The Safe COVID-19 Vaccine For 5- To 11-Year-Olds
HARTFORD, Conn.—This morning, Pfizer announced that a Phase 2/3 trial has shown its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and generates a robust immune response in children ages 5 to 11. The Connecticut Department of Public Health has been expecting such an announcement for several weeks. We are closely following the latest developments related to both expanded emergency use authorization for children and approval of booster doses.
This data has not yet been peer-reviewed or published. It has been reported that Pfizer plans to submit for an emergency use authorization to the Food and Drug Administration. FDA officials have said that once data is submitted, the agency could authorize a vaccine for young children in a matter of weeks.
Today’s news comes as a step in the right direction as the Connecticut Department of Public Health looks forward to the eventual vaccination of the state’s youngest residents.
The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States continue to be remarkably effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even against the widely circulating Delta variant. It is critical that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people get their primary series of vaccines to further reduce the risk of COVID-19 and its more severe outcomes. Nearly all the cases of severe disease, hospitalization, and death continue to occur among those not yet vaccinated at all.
Additionally, DPH continues to collaborate with hundreds of vaccine providers across the state to be sure that we are ready to administer both boosters and COVID vaccines to children. These providers include hospitals, health systems, federally qualified health centers, pharmacies, physician practices, and local health departments.
Published by: Heather Trabal, MD
heather.trabal@ct.gov