Australia does not need to rush into vaccinating all 5-11-year-olds against COVID-19 while data are limited, say paediatric infectious diseases specialists.

This week, the US moved ahead in its plan to roll out vaccination in this age group after backing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for emergency use of a lower dose of Pfizer’s Comirnaty vaccine.

The FDA said its decision was based on safety data from 1444 children who received the vaccine and were followed up for two months as part of Pfizer’s multi-country paediatric trial, with around 4500 participants.

The TGA is currently reviewing Pfizer’s application to have its COVID-19 vaccine approved for preadolescent children in Australia.