Pfizer and BioNTech have sought emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators for their COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age. No vaccine has been authorized for this age group yet, stated Pfizer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s panel of outside advisers is set to meet on October 26 to discuss the application, thus increasing the possibility that children in this age group will start receiving the COVID vaccine soon afterward. The vaccine is already authorized in the U.S. for emergency use in the 12- to 15-year age bracket and is fully approved for people aged 16 and above.

The vaccine was found to evoke a strong immune response in children aged 5 to 11 years in a clinical trial involving 2,268 participants, stated the companies on September 20… (Reuters, October 7, 2021)