Pfizer/BioNTech Says New COVID-19 Vaccine is 100% Effective on Adolescents

• A new COVID-19 vaccine has been tested to be very effective on adolescents
• Pfizer/BioNTech confirmed that the vaccine is 100% effective on adolescents with only mild side effects
• The vaccine is now available for emergency use for people who are 16 years and older.

Pfizer/BioNTech has been working on a COVID-19 vaccine that can be given to younger people. Amazingly, it looks like they have been successful. Pfizer has just announced that the new vaccine is 100% effective and is well tolerated by adolescents.

Pfizer reports that the vaccine resulted in strong antibody responses a month after the second dose. The results were observed in a Phase 3 trial that included 2,260 participants aged 12 to 15. In addition to that, it exceeds the ones demonstrated in people aged 16 to 25 in the previous trials.

A COVID-19 Vaccine for Teens

Pfizer/BioNTech also reported that the younger teens had similar side effects to those in older participants. However, the side effects are somehow mild. They include pain at the injection site, fatigue and fever. Moreover, it was confirmed that participants will be monitored for protection and safety. They will be checked for two years after getting the second dose.

The vaccine is currently authorized in the US for emergency use in people 16 and older. However, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla confirms they are working to make it available to more people soon.

“We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15,” Bourla said. “We plan to submit these data to FDA as a proposed amendment to our Emergency Use Authorization in the coming weeks and to other regulators around the world, with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year.”

The vaccine for adolescents is just the beginning. Pfizer confirmed that they are hoping to produce a COVID-19 vaccine for younger children. Hopefully, the new vaccine will be available before the start of the next school year.