Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says Covid vaccine data for kids under age 5 may come in late October

Pfizer expects to release clinical trial data on how well its Covid-19 vaccine works in 6-month to 5-year-old children as early as the end of October, CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday.

Covid vaccine data for kids between ages 5 and 11 will come much sooner, he said, potentially ready to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration by the end of this month.

The CEO’s comments come as many parents say they are anxious to get their children vaccinated, especially as schools reopen and the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread. The strain has led to a surge in hospitalizations across the U.S., including among young kids who are currently ineligible to get the shots.

On Friday, FDA officials said they were “working around the clock” to support the approvals of Covid vaccines for kids under age 12.

Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, said last month the agency would move as “swiftly” as possible on approving the shot for kids under 12 once the companies submit data.

The Greek “Dream Team” battling for the COVID-19 vaccine