The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Pfizer's two-dose coronavirus vaccine will be approved for individuals ages 12-15 next week. Over 100 million adults have already received the vaccination in full.
Breaking News: The FDA is said to be preparing to expand use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to adolescents as young as 12 by next week, opening up the nation’s vaccination campaign to millions more Americans. https://t.co/3EFjeioXuB pic.twitter.com/JamMJuO6mo
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 3, 2021
*FDA TO APPROVE PFIZER VACCINE FOR AGES 12-15 NEXT WEEK: NYT
— Emma Kinery (@EmmaKinery) May 3, 2021
The news is a step in the right direction in the effort to get a majority of Americans vaccinated, that was first spearheaded by the Trump administration. Still, the Biden administration has avoided committing to reopening schools in the Fall, despite overwhelming evidence that a return to traditional, in-person learning is safe.
“The clearance would be a major development in the nation’s vaccination campaign and welcome news to parents anxious to protect their children during summer activities and before the start of the next school year...Pfizer reported several weeks ago that none of the adolescents in the clinical trial who received the vaccine developed symptomatic infections, a sign of significant protection. The company announced in late March that volunteers produced strong antibody responses and experienced about the same side effects seen in people ages 16 to 25 years,” New York Times reported.
The results of Moderna's two-dose vaccine clinical trial for the same age category are still pending.