Pfizer coronavirus the vaccine works very well in children 12 to 15 years old, pharmaceutical giant reported Wednesday.
In an advanced-stage trial studying more than 2,200 adolescents, not a single vaccinated person was infected with COVID-19, Pfizer said in a press release. The results suggest that the vaccine may be even more effective in 12-15 year olds than in adults.
Pfizer has yet to release the test data. The company said it would submit the data to the FDA for emergency approval “in the coming weeks.”
If approved, Pfizer’s vaccine will be the first in the United States to be given to children under the age of 16. believe that vaccinating children will be crucial to achieving “herd immunity” – when so many people are immune to COVID-19 that the virus can no longer spread effectively.
Pfizer said the trial showed the vaccine to be safe in those 12 to 15 years old, with side effects “generally consistent with those seen in participants aged 16 to 25.”
Pfizer vaccine was first cleared for emergency use for people 16 and older in December, and millions of Americans have received doses since. A clinical test last fall it was 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in adults; a recent study showed similar results in the “real world“since its approval.
Pfizer said it was conducting trials in children under the age of 12.
