Pfizer COVID Vaccine Expected for 5-11 Year Old Children Around Year-End

Adolescents Aged 12-15 Likely to Begin Vaccination in Early May
Over 100 Million Fully Vaccinated in the US

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Children aged 5 to 11 are expected to be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting from the end of this year. The number of fully vaccinated individuals in the United States has surpassed 100 million.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Ugur Sahin, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of BioNTech, the German biotech company that co-developed the COVID-19 vaccine with American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, said in an interview with CNBC on the 29th (local time), "We expect data for the 5 to 11 age group to be available by late summer or fall this year," adding, "We plan to submit the relevant data to regulatory authorities and anticipate receiving approval for vaccinating children by the end of this year."

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has received emergency use authorization for individuals aged 16 and older, and approval for use in adolescents aged 12 to 15 has also been requested. Experts expect the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine in the 12 to 15 age group to be imminent, with vaccinations likely to begin in early May.

Earlier, the two companies announced at the end of March that clinical trial results involving more than 2,000 adolescents showed the vaccine demonstrated 100% efficacy.

Meanwhile, Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator, announced that the number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States has exceeded 100 million.