Surgeon general vows rigorous vaccine review or children under 5
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy vowed to parents that the Pfizer vaccine for children under the age of 5 would be rigorously checked and reviewed after the manufacturing company requested emergency-use authorization earlier this week.
“Please know that the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] will not cut any corners in their review process. They know that they are the gold standard that all of us rely on,” Murthy said during a White House news briefing Wednesday.
As it stands, 22% of U.S. children age 5 to 11 have received at least one vaccine dose for COVID-19, according to data from the Washington Post. In South Carolina, 17.3% children in the same age group have had at least one vaccine dose.
The FDA has requested data from two-dose trials be submitted to begin a “rolling submission” process in hopes to start the vaccine rollout more quickly, according to a statement from Pfizer and BioNTech. Health experts and vocal parents say they are skeptical about the unusual, rushed approach.
Latest COVID-19 data
South Carolina health officials on Thursday reported 5,136 total new cases of COVID-19, with 3,284 confirmed. They also reported 137 new deaths, 107 of which were confirmed.
With 17,562 tests reported Thursday, 24.4% were positive.
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ with at least one vaccine: 66.6%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ who have completed vaccination: 57.2%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 with at least one vaccine: 17.3%
- Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 who have completed vaccination: 12.1%
For more information, visit the S.C. DHEC COVID-19 dashboard.
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