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Pfizer says its vaccine is 100% effective at protecting children aged 12 to 15 from COVID-19

  Pfizer says testing trials have shown its COVID-19 vaccine is 100 percent effective in children aged 12 to 15 years old, paving the way fo...

 Pfizer says testing trials have shown its COVID-19 vaccine is 100 percent effective in children aged 12 to 15 years old, paving the way for them to seek US emergency use authorization in weeks.

The trial involved just 2,260 children - a fraction of the size of the adult trial, which involved more than 40,000 people. 

The company announced on Wednesday that in a Phase 3 trial of children between the ages of 12 and 15, the vaccine 'demonstrated 100 percent efficacy and robust antibody responses'. 


But when a vaccine is used publicly over a longer period of time, none has ever been 100 percent effective, and it is unlikely that Pfizer's Covid shot will be perfectly protective to the general population of adolescents. 

And while some experts argue that vaccinating children under 18 - who make up about 23 percent of the US population - will be critical to getting the U.S. to herd immunity by vaccinating 75 of the population, others argue that the benefits of inoculation don't outweigh the risks of coronavirus to children. 

So far, children under 18 account for less than 12 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases and it is exceedingly rare for them to die of the infection. Only 331 kids under 18 have died of COVID-19, compared with more than 550,000 adults. 

Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall

Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall 

In the trial of 2,260 adolescents aged 12 to 15, there were 18 cases of COVID-19 in the group that got a placebo shot and none in the group that got the vaccine, resulting in 100 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19, according to Pfizer. 

It's virtually impossible that this efficacy will remain so high if the shot is used in the general population, most children do not develop symptoms or only become mildly ill even if they do catch Covid. 

So far, real-world data suggests that Pfizer's vaccine is about 90 percent effective in adults. That's excellent protection, but falls just short of its 95 percent efficacy in its trial. 


The company said at the time that only eight people out more than 20,000 who got the vaccine caught COVID, compared to 162 who were given a fake jab. A total of 10 people got severe COVID-19, one of whom had been given the real vaccine. 

Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the virus. Pfizer's vaccine is currently authorized for ages 16 and older. 

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech in the coming weeks plan to ask the US Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to allow emergency use of the shots starting at age 12.

'We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine,' Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. He expressed 'the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year' in the United States.  

Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, agreed to volunteer after his father, a Duke University pediatrician, presented the option. He doesn't know if he received the vaccine or a placebo

Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, agreed to volunteer after his father, a Duke University pediatrician, presented the option. He doesn't know if he received the vaccine or a placebo

Vaccinating children could be controversial because it is likely to be focused on protecting older people rather than the children themselves. 

Other vaccines given to children, such as for measles and meningitis, protect against diseases that are very dangerous and potentially deadly to children, but the same is not true of Covid. 

In the U.S., 0.01 percent of children who have contracted COVID-19 have died from the infection.  


Figures from Public Health England (PHE) show the risk of dying from Covid for over-80s in the UK is 1,513 per 100,000 people – 1.5 percent of everyone who catches the virus.

But for children aged five to nine, this risk of death after catching Covid is just 0.1 per 100,000 – one in a million.

People who back the child vaccination policy argue that it is important to minimise the risk of infection, despite some academics arguing children do not contribute to the spread of Covid. 

Pfizer's phase three trial is a small study, that hasn't yet been published, so another important piece of evidence is how well the shots revved up the kids' immune systems. Researchers reported high levels of virus-fighting antibodies, somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults.

Kids had side effects similar to young adults, the company said. 

The main side effects are pain, fever, chills and fatigue, particularly after the second dose. The study will continue to track participants for two years for more information about long-term protection and safety.

Pfizer isn't the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Results also are expected soon from a US study of Moderna's vaccine in 12- to 17-year-olds.

But in a sign that the findings were promising, the FDA already allowed both companies to begin US studies in children 11 and younger, working their way to as young as 6-month-old.

AstraZeneca last month began a study of its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. Johnson & Johnson is planning its own pediatric studies. And in China, Sinovac recently announced it has submitted preliminary data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3.

While most COVID-19 vaccines being used globally were first tested in tens of thousands of adults, pediatric studies won't need to be nearly as large. Scientists have safety information from those studies and from subsequent vaccinations in millions more adults.

One key question is the dosage: Pfizer gave the 12-and-older participants the same dose adults receive, while testing different doses in younger children.

It's not clear how quickly the FDA would act on Pfizer's request to allow vaccination starting at age 12. Another question is when the country would have enough supply of shots - and people to get them into adolescents' arms - to let kids start getting in line.


Supplies are set to steadily increase over the spring and summer, at the same time states are opening vaccinations to younger, healthier adults who until now haven't had a turn.

Children represent about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases documented in the US. While children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill, at least 268 have died from COVID-19 in the US alone and more than 13,500 have been hospitalized, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That's more than die from the flu in an average year. Additionally, a small number have developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the coronavirus.

Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, agreed to volunteer after his father, a Duke University pediatrician, presented the option. He doesn't know if he received the vaccine or a placebo.

'Usually I'm just at home doing online school and there's not much I can really do to fight back against the virus,' Caleb said in a recent interview. The study 'was really somewhere that I could actually help out.'

His father, Dr Richard Chung, said he's proud of his son and all the other children volunteering for the needle pricks, blood tests and other tasks a study entails.

'We need kids to do these trials so that kids can get protected. Adults can't do that for them,' Chung said.

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