Coronavirus
US panel of experts also recommends Biontech vaccine for children
A clinic employee pulls the Covid-19 vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer onto a syringe for a vaccination. (Archive image) Photo: Sven Hoppe / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The US vaccination campaign for children between the ages of five and eleven is expected to start this week. A panel of experts had previously given the green light for the Biontech vaccine.
After the emergency approval of the corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer for children between the ages of five and eleven in the USA, a panel of experts also gave the health authority the green light.
The formal move, which the US media unanimously reported on Tuesday, had been expected. This means that the vaccination campaign for the approximately 28 million affected children in the USA can now – as already planned by the White House – start this week.
According to Biontech / Pfizer, a clinical study showed that the vaccine was “well tolerated” for children of this age group and produced a “strong immune response” one month after the second dose. Compared to adults and adolescents, the five to eleven year olds were given a significantly lower dose of the vaccine. They received the second injection they needed after 21 days. The study included 2,268 children of that age.
The vaccine from the German manufacturer Biontech and its US partner Pfizer is already approved in the USA for children and adolescents from the age of twelve and for adults. The active ingredients from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are currently only allowed to be used in adults.
Biontech and Pfizer have also applied for approval of their corona vaccine for children in Europe, as they announced in mid-October. Accordingly, they transmitted the relevant data to the EU Medicines Agency (EMA). A decision by the EMA is planned before Christmas.