Pfizer Vaccine News: Pfizer Vaccine News: Pfizer announced on Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine is 100 per cent safe and protective for kids belonging to the age group of 12 to 15 years. Pfizer vaccine comes as a breakthrough for inoculation against the viral infection as so far, most of the COVID-19 vaccine was available only for adults. With schools preparing to reopen across the globe by fall, children could take the shots before heading back to physical classes.
Currently, Pfizer’s vaccine is authorised for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic and helping schools, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption.
The pharma major conducted trials on 2,260 US volunteers ages 12 to 15 and preliminary data showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots.
Kids showed side-effects similar to young adults. The main side effects are pain, fever, chills and fatigue, particularly after the second dose, the company said. Pfizer and BioNTech will continue their study to track participants for two years for more information about long-term protection and safety.
What remains uncertain is the dosage. In the trial, Pfizer gave participants of the age group of 12-15 years the same dose that adults receive, while testing different doses in younger children.
It’s not clear how quickly the FDA would act on Pfizer’s request to allow vaccination starting at age 12. Moreover, it is also not clear if the US would have enough supply of shots and people to get them into adolescents’ arms to let kids start getting in line.