The United Kingdom has approved a dose of Pfizer COVID vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years.
Britain’s drug regulator said on Friday it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for use on children aged 12 to 15 years.
The regulator said it would now be up to the country’s Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization (JCVI) to vaccinate this age group as part of Britain’s immunization roll-out plan. Children aged 12-15 are already getting the Pfizer shot in the United States, while France and Germany plan to start giving it to that age group this month.
June Raine, chief executive of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said in a statement that her agency had carefully reviewed clinical trial data in children aged 12 to 15 years.
“We have concluded that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective in this age group and that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh any risks,” he said.
Earlier, America has also approved the Pfizer vaccine for children. There too, children up to 12 years of age will be given the Pfizer vaccine. But vaccination has not yet been announced for this age group in India. Trials are starting, but the process is going to take a long time. In such a situation, the government is going to insist on vaccinating 18+, only after that children will be included in this campaign.
