The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the use of the Biontech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged between five and eleven years old. The vaccine has been proven to be both safe and effective in clinical trials. Germany is set to begin vaccinating children on December 20th. The EMA’s recommendation marks the first time a vaccine has been approved for use in children under the age of twelve in the European Union (EU).
The recommendation was made by experts after a two-month analysis of the vaccine’s risks and effectiveness in this age group. A clinical Phase-II/III study published in The New England Journal of Medicine confirmed the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. Children in the study were given a dose of 10 micrograms, while those aged twelve and above and adults received 30 micrograms. The EU Commission must still give its official approval before the vaccine can be administered to children, but this is expected to be a formality.
Germany has already secured 2.4 million doses of the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine in the required dose for children, with vaccinations set to begin on December 20th. The German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) is expected to issue its recommendation on vaccinating children aged five to eleven by the end of 2021, with the aim of completing this by the time the vaccine is delivered to the states. STIKO Chairman Thomas Mertens stated that “our goal is to complete this recommendation by the end of December, preferably by the start of the delivery of the children’s vaccine to the states.”
The approval of the Biontech vaccine for use in children is a significant step in the fight against Covid-19, as it will help to protect a vulnerable age group and reduce the spread of the virus. The safety and efficacy of the vaccine have been confirmed in clinical trials, and its approval for use in children is a positive development in the ongoing battle against the pandemic.
