The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved and expanded the authorization for the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 through 15 years of age.
“The FDA’s expansion of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age is a significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. during a press announcement released yesterday.
From March of last year until this past April, approximately 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in youth ages 11 to 17 were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FDA announced on Monday that in the vaccine clinical trial, “the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19.” The clinical research found that side effects of the vaccine were similar to that of adults, including pain at the injection site, headache, and fatigue