MILWAUKEE — Following Pfizer's announcement Monday that 3 smaller doses of its COVID-19 vaccine help to protect infants and toddlers from the virus, health care systems in Wisconsin are gearing up to help vaccinate them if and when the FDA and CDC grant final approval.
"These results are very encouraging," Mo Kharbat, SSM Health's Vice President of Pharmacy Services, said. "[The infants'] immune system was boosted enough to reach efficacy levels over 80%, preventing symptomatic disease."
Infants and toddlers 6 months and older make up the final large group Americans who haven't been able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 yet, and Kharbat said that parents shouldn't have any concerns about getting their children vaccinated, especially after what's been a relatively long testing process.
"Drug companies keep looking for the appropriate dose that produces the desired outcome while being safe," he said. "For older children, 5-to-11 for example, the dose is a third of the adult dose. For younger kids under 5, they were looking for that dose that's most appropriate for their body size."
You can watch the entire interview above.