Pfizer-BioNTech, the company that created the first vaccine against COVID-19, reports a new study that suggests its shot is 100 per cent effective in teens as young as 12.
The company announced the results of its Phase 3 clinical trial in those aged 12 to 15. It tested teens who had had the virus and those who had not.
A release from Pfizer-BioNTech said the results "exceeded those recorded earlier in vaccinated participants aged 16 to 25 years old, and was well tolerated."
A total of 2,260 adolescents in the U.S. took part in the trial.
"We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data," said Chair and CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla. "We plan to submit these data to FDA [Federal Drug Administration in the U.S.} as a proposed amendment to our Emergency Use Authorization in the coming weeks and other regulators around the world, with the hope of starting to vaccine this age group before the start of the next school year."
In the test group, 18 cases of COVID-19 were included in the placebo group, while no infections were observed in the control cohort. Those who got the shot continued to have strong immunity against the virus one month after the second dose. Participants will continue to be monitored for another two years to judge long-term protection and safety.
Meanwhile, the company has started a clinical trial on children aged 6-months to 11-years. Those children will be divided into three age groups, six-months to two-years, two to five years, and five to 11-years. Some of the children received their first dose last week.
The vaccine, which uses rRNA technology is approved for people who are 16 years of age and older.