40°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective for children ages 5 to 11

2 years 5 months 3 weeks ago Monday, September 20 2021 Sep 20, 2021 September 20, 2021 6:36 PM September 20, 2021 in News
Source: CNN

Pfizer and BioNTech reports Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11 and that the company intends to seek emergency authorization in the coming weeks.

According to CNN, Pfizer's Phase 2/3 trial revealed that its vaccine generated a "robust" antibody response in elementary-school aged children, though it should be noted that this data has yet to be peer-reviewed or published.

The trial reportedly included 2,268 participants between the ages of 5 and 11 and a two-dose regimen of the vaccine administered 21 days apart.

The trials utilized a 10-microgram dose, which is less than the 30-microgram dose used for those 12 and older.

In a news release, the company said, "The 10 microgram dose was carefully selected as the preferred dose for safety, tolerability and immunogenicity in children 5 to 11 years of age." 

The children's immune responses were measured by analyzing aneutralizing antibody levels in their blood and comparing those to a control group of 16- to 25-year-olds who were given a two-dose regimen with the larger 30-microgram dose.

Pfizer said the levels compared well with older people who received the larger dose, indicating a "strong immune response in this cohort of children one month after the second dose."

The company concluded, "the COVID-19 vaccine was well tolerated, with side effects generally comparable to those observed in participants 16 to 25 years of age." 

Vaccine-maker, Moderna says it is also is studying its COVID-19 vaccine in young children, and results are expected later this year.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days