No Pfizer jabs yet for children five-11 in Trinidad and Tobago

Even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave the green light for children five-11 in the US to be vaccinated with the Pfizer covid19 vaccine, this country will not do so until the World Health Organization (WHO) has given approval.

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds stated the Ministry of Health’s position during Monday’s covid19 briefing.

Hinds explained, “The FDA’s approval is basically a national-level approval for the US.

“As additional data is collected, collated, analysed and then a consensus position is developed by the WHO, which is the group to which we refer for global mandate approval guidelines on existing vaccines, then our existing policies will be modified in accordance with that global guidance.”

Hinds added that the WHO’s research process for vaccine approvals consists of an international panel considering data taken from studies all over the world.

While the FDA gave the green light for children five-11 to be given Pfizer jabs on October 29, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must also sign off on the decision before they can be given.

The Prime Minister has long said any covid19 approved by the WHO for children five-11, once it is available, will be added to the list of mandatory vaccines for children to attend government schools.

During a press conference on October 2, Dr Rowley said, “Once there is a vaccine that is available for this infection and it’s sanctioned by the WHO, the government of Trinidad and Tobago will make efforts to get that vaccine for our children, and such a vaccine would be added to the list of vaccines for children which we have grown up with.”