EU authorizes use of Pfizer vaccine in children from 5 to 11 years old

The drug regulator of the European Union (EU) authorized the use of the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech in children between the ages of five and 11, paving the way for the vaccination of millions of primary school students on the continent amid a widespread spike in infections across Europe.

This is the first time that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorizes a coronavirus vaccine for young children.

The agency said that it “recommends granting an extension of the indication for the vaccine against COVID-19 Comirnaty to include its use in children between five and 11 years old.”

At least one country affected by the new wave of the pandemic did not wait for the EMA’s decision: authorities in the Austrian capital, Vienna, have already begun vaccinating minors. Europe is now at the epicenter of the health crisis and the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the continent could exceed two million deaths in spring unless urgent measures are taken.

The EMA’s decision to give the green light to the formula developed by Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech has to receive the go-ahead from the EU executive body, the European Commission, before the health authorities of the member states can start. to administer it.

Earlier in the week, German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that the distribution of vaccines for that age group would begin on December 20.

The United States licensed Pfizer’s vaccine for children earlier this month, and other countries, such as Canada, followed suit.

For school-age children, Pfizer tested a dose that is one-third of that given to adults. Even with a smaller amount of the drug, children between the ages of five and 11 develop levels of antibodies against coronavirus as strong as those of adolescents and young adults who receive the normal dose, explained Dr. Bill Gruber, senior vice president of Pfizer in September.

But studies with Pfizer’s formula have not been large enough to detect unusual side effects of the second dose, such as inflammation in the chest and heart found mostly in adolescents and young adults, especially men.

The US authorities noted that the coronavirus has caused more deaths in children between the ages of five and 11 than other diseases, such as chickenpox, before its widespread vaccination.

At the beginning of the month, the EMA began studying the use of Moderna Inc’s vaccine against COVID-19 in children between the ages of six and 11, and the decision is expected to be known within two months.