Biontech / Pfizer’s corona vaccine has received emergency approval in the United States for children aged five to eleven. The US drug agency FDA announced on Friday. This means that a large-scale vaccination campaign for children of this age group is getting closer and closer.
“As a mother and doctor, I know that parents, child carers, school staff and children have been waiting for today’s approval,” said FDA executive Janet Woodcock. “Vaccinating younger children against Covid-19 will bring us closer to a return to a certain normalcy.” She emphasized that the vaccine from the Mainz manufacturer Biontech and its US partner Pfizer meet the “high standards” of the FDA.
Around 28 million five to eleven year olds
The FDA’s vaccination committee on Tuesday recommended emergency approval for the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine for the roughly 28 million five to eleven year olds in the United States. This emergency approval has now been officially granted. Now the CDC health authority has to make a corresponding vaccination recommendation. A panel of experts based there will examine the question next week.
Biontech / Pfizer have also applied for approval of their vaccine for five to eleven year olds in the EU. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) could decide on this by Christmas. (AFP)