The pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that the vaccine developed against Covid-19 by its laboratories also effectively and safely protects children up to 12 years of age, according to a recent study carried out by the pharmaceutical company itself.
Most of the COVID-19 vaccines that are being applied in the world are for adults, especially the elderly, who have a greater risk of complications if they contract the virus. For example, the Pfizer vaccine is licensed for ages 16 and over.
But the concern for the youngest to return to school after months of distance education is also to vaccinate this sector of the population.
In a study of 2,260 American volunteers between the ages of 12 and 15, preliminary data showed that there were no cases of Covid-19 among fully vaccinated teens compared to 18 individuals who received placebos.
According to Pfizer, it is a small study, but it shows the good reaction of the children’s immune system to the vaccine provided.
Children had side effects similar to those of young adults, for example, they had: injection site pain, fever, chills, and fatigue, especially after the second dose; but it was all mild.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech plan in the coming weeks to ask the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as European regulators, to allow the emergency use of the injections from the age of 12.
“We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, adding that “we hope to begin vaccinating this age group before the start of next school year.”
Children account for about 13% of documented Covid-19 cases in the US, and while children are far less likely than adults to become seriously ill, at least 268 have died from the disease in the northern nation alone.
In relation to the number of hospitalized minors, it rises to 13,500, according to a count by the American Academy of Pediatrics.