Pfizer announces safety of COVID vaccine for children

 

Pfizer announces safety of COVID vaccine for children

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that the companies' coronavirus vaccine is safe for children ages 5 to 11, generating a robust immune response to the disease.

The announcement comes after a large vaccine trial involving 4,500 people, two-thirds of whom received the vaccine in two doses, although each quantity is smaller than that prescribed for adults. The companies said the vaccine produced levels of antibodies similar to those in young adults, with about a third of the dose being given to the general population.

"We are keen to expand the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorization, especially as we track the spread of the delta variant and the significant threat it poses to children," said Albert Burla, CEO of Pfizer in a statement. For the media.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech plan to apply for emergency permission to use the coronavirus vaccine in children by the end of this month. The Food and Drug Administration will work to approve a pediatric coronavirus vaccine as quickly as possible. Dr. Peter Marks, the FDA's head of vaccines, told The Associated Press earlier in September.

"We'll do a thorough job of that as quickly as we can so that at the end of the day, hopefully in a matter of weeks rather than a few months, we can come to some conclusions," Marks said.