Pfizer vaccine soon to be administered to kids aged between 12 and 15

Lahore, 21st April: Pfizer has requested to expand the use of its coronavirus vaccine to kids aged between 12 and 15.

Pfizer has requested the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize its emergency use which the FDA had originally granted during the end of the year 2020 for people ages 16 and up.

Pfizer-BioNtech told last week that its clinical trial for Phase 3 showed that its vaccine is safe for use and 100% effective in children aged 12 to 15, though the findings were not peer-reviewed.

When those results were released, CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement, “There’s a hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year.”

A pediatric infectious disease expert said that vaccinating teenagers is the next step in seeing our way through the pandemic.

He was of the opinion that by extending the age groups that can get the jab, they can continue their efforts to protect the most vulnerable people which include older adults and teenagers.

Dr Jesse Goodman, director of the Center on Medical Product Access, Safety and Stewardship at Georgetown University and former FDA chief scientist said that the review process by the FDA may take several weeks provided the data look good and consistent with what was seen in adults.

Norman Baylor, president and chief executive of Biologics Consulting and former director of the FDA’s Office of Vaccine Research and Review agreed to this and in the interest of full transparency, may decide to consult with their independent advisory panel before amending the Pfizer EUA

According to the latest reports, one-third of Americans have been vaccinated with one dose against the coronavirus. But in order to vaccinate the entire population, children will have to be vaccinated too.

As per reports, Pfizer is also working on finding how well the vaccine works in kids aged between 6 months and 11-years-old. The first trials were conducted in March.

It is to be noted that the Pfizer vaccine is the only one that is currently authorized to be administered in teens of ages 16 and above in the USA as compared to other available vaccines Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

The request from Pfizer comes after observing a rapid increase in coronavirus cases in younger teens and kids in some states of the US.

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