Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is 100% effective in preventing infection in adolescents ages 12-15, the drug maker said Wednesday.
The results from Pfizer’s clinical trial suggest that the vaccine is more effective for that age group than it is for adults and carries similar mild side effects. The trial consisted of 2,300 adolescents throughout the United States.
No teen who received the vaccine went on to contract COVID-19, while 18 teens in the placebo group did, Pfizer said in its announcement.
Pfizer added that it would seek permission from the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency to authorize the vaccine for teens. If approved, it means that a vaccine could be available for younger teens before the upcoming academic year starts in the fall. (RELATED: Is ‘Natural Immunity’ Better Than A Coronavirus Vaccine?)
People line up at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, to get vaccinated on March 20, 2021. (ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Pfizer also began a study last week to determine whether the vaccine was safe in children from 6 months to 11 years old, though the results have not been released.
Pfizer is one of three coronavirus vaccines approved for use in the United States, but is the only one approved for 16 and 17-year-olds. The vaccine was authorized in December after clinical trials showed it was nearly 95% effective, becoming the first in the nation to be administered.
The Centers for Disease Control said Monday that the vaccine prevented 90% of infections in a real-world study consisting of health care workers, first responders and other essential workers. Pfizer also said that it would submit its detailed adolescent study to a peer-reviewed scientific journal for publication.
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