COVID Vaccine “100%” Effective in Kids 12-15, Says Pfizer
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Pfizer announced on Wednesday that in a Phase 3 trial in adolescents 12 to 15 years of age with or without prior evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses.
According to Pfizer, the response "exceeded those recorded earlier in vaccinated participants aged 16 to 25 years old, and was well tolerated."
“We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15,” said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. “We plan to submit these data to FDA as a proposed amendment to our Emergency Use Authorization in the coming weeks and to other regulators around the world, with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year.”
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Children make up around 20% of the U.S. population, according to government data. Between 70% and 85% of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated against Covid to achieve herd immunity, experts say, and some adults may refuse to get the shots.
Pfizer’s vaccine has already been authorized for use in the U.S. in people 16 and older. Clinical trial studies testing the vaccine in kids, whose immune systems can respond differently than adults, still needed to be completed.
The White House’s chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told a House committee earlier this month that the U.S. could begin vaccinating older kids against Covid-19 this fall while elementary-aged children may start getting their shots early next year.
