The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first to be approved in the European Union in December, when it was given the soft green for use by anyone 16 years of age or older. Since then, around 173 million doses have been administered in the EU, representing roughly three-quarters of all vaccines administered to date in the 27-country bloc.
“Extending the coverage of an effective vaccine to this younger population is a vital step in the fight against this pandemic,” said Marco Cavaleri, EMA’s Head of Health Threats and Vaccine Strategy in Amsterdam.
EU regulator authorized the vaccine for young adolescents after receiving knowledge from the US. But it’s not the first time Which seemed to be very effective against infection In a study of 2,000 adolescents, none of those who won the vaccine contracted COVID-19, compared to 16 in a year. placebo group, Cavaleri said.
“The vaccine was well tolerated and the side effects in this age organization were very similar to those we observed in young adults and did not raise any primary concerns at this time,” he said.
The EMA resolution should be supported by the European Commission, and national regulators can determine whether the vaccine will be presented to young people under the age of 16 in all countries.
The council follows similar decisions through regulators in Canada and the United States last month, as countries are gradually honing their adult immunization goals and seeking to immunize as many others as possible.
Researchers will continue to monitor the long-term coverage and defense of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in test participants for another two years. Cavaleri said rare adverse cases may not have been known in the small examination on which the authorization was based.
“Once the vaccine is implemented, it will be vital to continue monitoring the functionality of the vaccine and find out if there is a protection problem,” he said, adding that the last few months had shown that Europe’s notification formula was capable of detecting imaginable disorders. vaccines.
Last month, the EMA added warnings about the imaginable threat of rare blood clots in others who won a dose of vaccines manufactured through AstraZeneca or Johnson.
Most international COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized for adults, who have an increased threat of severe disease and coronavirus death, but vaccination of young people of all ages may be essential to prevent epidemics, as some studies have shown that older people young people can play a role in spreading the virus even if they sometimes do not become seriously ill with COVID-19.
In the United States, young people account for about 14% of coronavirus cases in the country and at least 316 have died, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Doctors also know of rare inflammatory syndrome in a very small proportion of young people with COVID-19. .
Vaccinating young people who oppose COVID-19 can also give the government more confidence to reopen schools, as it has been difficult to get young people to wear masks and interact in social estviation.
But the World Health Organization has criticized rich countries for deciding to vaccinate their younger, lower-risk populations, saying that the incredibly limited number of COVID-19 vaccines, on the other hand, is shared with poor countries so that they too can protect their staff from fitness and maximum vulnerableness.
“I sense why some countries need to vaccinate their young people and adolescents, but for now, I urge them to reconsider their resolution and donate vaccines to COVAX,” WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this month, referring to the UN-backed distribution initiative, vaccines fairly. Of the more than one billion COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, less than 2% have gone to poor countries.
Other brands of vaccines are also investigating whether their vaccines are effective in young people. Earlier this week, Moderna Inc. said its shots strongly protect young people up to 12 years old; He said he would submit an emergency use authorization application to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. Next month. Another U. S. company, Novavax, has a complex COVID-19 vaccine and has just started an exam in other young people age 12 to 17.
Modern and Pfizer-BioNTech tested their vaccines on young people over 6 months to 11 years; get a lower dose than adolescents and adults get. Sinovac of China has also presented initial knowledge to the country’s regulators, hoping that their vaccine will be in young people up to 3 years old.
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Cheng reported from London, Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.
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