Pfizer has stated that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and about 91 percent effective in protecting elementary school children against Coronavirus. According to findings of a study released on Friday, kid-size doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine are effective in protecting 5-11 years-old from symptomatic infections. This development has come at a time when the United States is considering starting vaccination for 5 to 11-year-olds.

If given go-ahead by healthcare regulators, the vaccination process could begin early next month to ensure full-protection among children by Christmas.

With details of the study conducted by Pfizer published online, advisors of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are expected to publicly debate the evidence next week. After debate, the FDA will be posting its independent review of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine by later next week. If Pfizer vaccine receives FDA's authorization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be making its final decision about its rollout for children in early November.

Meanwhile, full-strength Pfizer vaccine doses have already been authorized for children aged 12 and above. Significantly pediatricians and parents are awaiting the review of Pfizer vaccine to ensure protection for younger children in order to keep them safe in schools amid rising infections. Reportedly, over 25,000 pediatricians and primary care providers have signed up to get the vaccine doses for children.

Furthermore, the Biden administration has also purchased enough kid-size doses to inoculate roughly 28 million 5-11-year-olds in the country. The kid-size doses are stored in special orange-capped vials to differentiate them from adult vaccine.

About 2,268 kids participated in the Pfizer study to analyze the effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta variant of the virus. All participating kids received both doses of the vaccine three weeks apart of either a placebo or the low-dose vaccine. Every dose was about one-third the amount being given to teens and adults to prevent infection.

The findings of the study showed that the low-dose vaccine was nearly 91 percent effective against COVID-19. The findings were based on necessary experiments, including 16 COVID-19 cases among youngsters given dummy vaccine shots versus three cases among vaccinated children.

Notably, no severe illnesses were reported among participating youngsters, but vaccinated children showed milder symptoms than their unvaccinated counterparts. Moreover, young children vaccinated with low-dose shots developed enough antibody to fight Coronavirus just like teens and young adults who got regular-strength vaccinations. This finding is particularly crucial to combat the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when hospitalizations among unvaccinated children reached record levels last month in the United States.

Earlier this week, the CDC reported that the Delta mutant surged between June and September. It further hailed Pfizer vaccinations that showed 93 percent effectiveness in preventing hospitalizations among 12-to-18-year-olds.

Pfizer's study among younger kids has also shown effectiveness of the low-dose vaccine shots with similar or fewer temporary side effects, including fever and sore arms as experienced by teens. Even as children as less likely to develop severe illness from COVID-19, the disease has killed more than 630 Americans aged 18 and under. According to the CDC, over 6.2 million children have been infected with COVID-19. As per the American Academy of Pediatrics, over 1.1 million cases have been reported in the last six weeks as the Delta mutant surged in the country.

At the same time, Moderna is also carrying out studies of its COVID-19 vaccine among elementary school-age youngsters.