QCOSTARICA – Two minors died of causes related to covid-19, this past weekend, one of them was almost two years old, and the other, 12, confirmed the acting director of the Hospital Nacional de Niños (National Children’s Hospital), in San Jose, Carlos Jiménez.
With these, there are four deaths registered so far in August, six during 2021 in that hospital, bringing the total count by the Ministry of Health to 14 minors, who have died in the country due to causes related to covid since the national emergency was declared.
In addition, Jiménez said, there are three cases that are investigated in the Ministry of Health to see if they qualify as deaths from covid-19 or related.
As of this Tuesday afternoon (August 17), 15 minors remained in the National Children’s Hospital for covid-19; four of which are in Intensive Care, Jiménez reported.
On August 10, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) asked to evaluate the possibility of vaccinating children against COVID-19, given the increase in cases and hospitalizations in children between 5 and 11 years old.
Available vaccines are only approved for people over the age of 12, which, in the AAP’s discretion, leaves a large proportion of the population unprotected.
“Our point of view is that the increase in the delta variant changes the risk-benefit analysis to authorize vaccination in children. The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) should consider authorizing them for people between 5 and 11 years old.
At this time, the pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna are conducting clinical trials. A Pfizer spokesperson told The Atlantic last week that the company plans to submit an EUA (FDA Emergency Use Authorization) application for the 5-to-11-year-old group “by the end of September,” and for the six-month-to-5-year-old group “shortly thereafter.”
At Moderna spokesperson, the company’s full data set will likely be ready “later this year or towards the very beginning of 2022.”
