Pfizer & BioNTech say their Covid-19 vaccine safe for children aged 5 to 11

Kids can take the vaccine soon if trials go smoothly.

Belmont Lay | September 21, 2021, 09:57 AM

Pfizer and BioNTech reported on Sep. 20 that they plan to ask for authorisation to use their vaccine, Comirnaty, in children aged five to 11 years old in the United States, Europe and elsewhere as soon as possible, Reuters reported.

This was after their vaccines induced a robust immune response in children in that age range.

The immune response in the five- to 11-year-olds in the companies' Phase II/III clinical trial matched what they had previously observed in 16- to 25-year-olds, Pfizer and BioNTech said.

The safety profile was also generally comparable to the older age group.

Top US health officials believe regulators could make a decision within three weeks of the companies submitting a request for authorisation, two sources told Reuters earlier in September.

Any approval would mean the shot is safe and effective in younger children.

The companies expect data on how well the vaccine works in children two to five years of age and children six months to two years of age before 2021 is up.

The five- to 11-year-olds were given two shots of a 10mg dose of the vaccine, one-third the dose size that has been given to people 12 and older.

Approved for use for those as young as 12 years old

Comirnaty is already authorised for use in children as young as 12 in many countries, including the U.S., and was originally authorised for emergency use in people 16 or older there in December 2020.

It received full U.S. approval in that age group in August 2021.

Pediatric Covid-19 cases are up in the United States, particularly as children under 12 are all unvaccinated.

But there is no indication that the Delta virus is more dangerous in kids, although it is more transmissive.

Top photo via Unsplash