Health

Pfizer announces its vaccine is effective for kids 5-11

Washington, Sep 20 (EFE).- The Pfizer and BioNTech pharmaceutical firms on Monday announced that the latest clinical trials of their Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 5-11 have shown that it generates a “robust” antibody response and is safe, a finding that brings the possibility of making the vaccine available for children by the end of October one step closer.

The clinical trials were performed on 2,268 participants between the ages of 5 and 11, all of whom received two doses of the vaccine with three weeks in between the two shots.

The doses used were of 10 micrograms instead of the 30 micrograms used in the vaccine for people over age 12.

According to Pfizer, the vaccine is “safe, well-tolerated, and showed robust neutralizing antibody responses” after the second dose, and it showed side effects comparable to those seen in people ages 16-25.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement that the clinical trial results “provide a strong foundation for seeking authorization of our vaccine for children,” adding that the firm will now send the data to the US Food and Drug Administration “with urgency.”

“Since July, pediatric cases of Covid-19 have risen by about 240 percent in the US – underscoring the public health need for vaccination,” Bourla said in the news release.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been formally approved by US health authorities for people 16 and over, and it has been given emergency use authorization for teens between the ages of 12 and 15.

If the review process for the vaccine can be completed with no delays, the vaccine for kids 5-11 could be available for use by the end of October.

EFE

Related Articles

Back to top button