COVID-19 vaccines for kids could arrive in early November

Children ages 5 to 11 could be eligible for vaccines as soon as the first week of November, if both advisory committees at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids.

On Tuesday, the FDA advisory committee will meet to review the data submitted by Pfizer and from there, the recommendation will go to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice at the CDC, which is scheduled to meet Nov. 1 and 2.

At that meeting, the committee could approve the vaccine for children, ending a long wait for many families.

Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine for children is a smaller dosage than what has been approved for those 12 years old and older. In its clinical trial data, the smaller-dose kids’ vaccines were just as effective as the vaccine for those ages 16 to 26 years.

Providers already are placing orders for the two-dose vaccine for kids in anticipation of its approval.

Separately, Moderna announced that its two-dose vaccine for 6 to 11 year-olds is effective and produces a robust immune response in kids. The Moderna vaccine for children is a lower dosage than the adult vaccine authorized for those 18 years old and older.

Moderna plans to submit data for its vaccine for children to the FDA soon.

Here’s a look at local numbers

The Spokane Regional Health District reported 112 new COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths on Monday. The district also reported an additional 412 cases over the weekend.

There have been 895 deaths due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

There are 137 patients in Spokane hospitals being treated for the virus.

The Panhandle Health District reported 388 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and six additional deaths. There are still 2,172 backlogged cases.

There have been 584 deaths due to COVID-19 in Panhandle residents.

There are 151 Panhandle residents hospitalized with the virus.