Manama, November 25 (BNA) – The European Union’s drug regulator on Thursday allowed the use of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine on children from 5 to 11 years old, paving the way for millions of primary school students amid a new wave. of injuries sweeping the continent.
This is the first time the European Medicines Agency has approved a COVID-19 vaccine for use in young children, an AP report said.
The agency said it had “recommended that an extension of indication be granted for the COVID-19 Comirnaty vaccine to include children aged 5 to 11 years.”
After evaluating a study of the vaccine in more than 2,000 children, the EMA estimated that the vaccine was about 90% effective in preventing symptoms of COVID-19 in young children, and said the most common side effects were pain at the injection site, headache, and muscle soreness and chills.
The agency said the two-dose regimen should be given to children three weeks apart.
At least one country facing rising infections has not waited for EMA approval. Authorities in the Austrian capital Vienna have already started vaccinating the 5- to 11-year-old group.
Europe is currently at the epicenter of the pandemic, and the World Health Organization has warned that the continent could see the death toll rise to two million by spring unless urgent measures are taken.
The EMA green light for a vaccine developed by Pfizer and German company BioNTech must be sealed by the European Union’s executive branch, the European Commission, before health authorities in member states can begin administering the vaccines.
Earlier this week, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said shipments of vaccines for young children in the European Union would begin on December 20.
The US signed off on baby-sized footage from Pfizer earlier this month, followed by other countries including Canada.
insult