FDA scientists say benefits of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine ‘clearly outweigh’ the risks for children ages 5 to 11
Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration presented an analysis late Friday showing that the protection offered to children between the ages of 5 and 11 by the Covid vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech “would clearly outweigh” the risk of myocarditis, a heart-related side effect, that the vaccine appears to cause.
The FDA’s analysis was made public ahead of a Tuesday meeting of outside scientists convened to make a recommendation on authorizing the vaccine for children in that age range. An agenda for the meeting shows sessions dedicated to the vaccine’s effectiveness, and to the potential risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. The FDA is not bound by the votes of its advisory committees, but it generally follows their advice.
