Washington: The USA on Monday extended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to kids between 12-15 years. “This is a promising development in our fight against the virus,” said President Joe Biden. The Senate has decided to cover the middle and high school students before they head back to school in the fall.
The US Food and Drug Administration previously had granted an emergency use authorization for the jab to individuals aged 16 and older. The inoculation would begin once the instructions are dictated by the federal vaccine advisory committee for administering 2 doses to the kids.
FDA declared Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on the testing of nearly 2,000 US volunteers between 12-15 years. Pfizer’s testing in adolescents “met our rigorous standards,” said FDA vaccine chief Dr Peter Marks. “Having a vaccine authorized for a younger population is a critical step in continuing to lessen the immense public health burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Apart from the US, Canada has also started rolling out vaccines for teens becoming the first nation to protect its kids against the virus. Parents, school administrators, and public health officials elsewhere are anxiously awaiting the shot to become available to more kids.
Moderna has also announced preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects. Another U.S. company, Novavax, just began a study on vaccine administration in 12- to 17-year-olds.