Xinhua
25 Nov 2021, 21:35 GMT+10
Study showed that the vaccine was 90.7 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19. The EMA concluded that the benefits of Comirnaty in children aged 5 to 11 outweigh the risks, particularly in those with conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19.
THE HAGUE, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday recommended the use of COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty developed by BioNTech and Pfizer for children aged 5 to 11.
The vaccine is already approved for use in adults and children aged 12 and above.
In children from 5 to 11 years of age, the dose of Comirnaty will be lower than that used in people aged 12 and above, the drug agency of the European Union (EU) said in a statement, adding that as in the older age group, it is given as two injections in the muscles of the upper arm, three weeks apart.
A main study in children aged 5 to 11 showed that the immune response to Comirnaty given at a lower dose in this age group was comparable to that seen with the higher dose in 16- to 25-year-olds, as measured by the level of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the EMA said.
The efficacy of Comirnaty was calculated in almost 2,000 children from 5 to 11 years of age who had no sign of previous infection, it said.
Study showed that the vaccine was 90.7 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19. The most common side effects in children aged 5 to 11 are similar to those in people aged 12 and above.
They include pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, redness and swelling at the site of injection, muscle pain and chills. These effects are usually mild or moderate and improve within a few days of vaccination.
The EMA concluded that the benefits of Comirnaty in children aged 5 to 11 outweigh the risks, particularly in those with conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19.
The safety and efficacy of the vaccine in both children and adults will continue to be monitored closely as it is used in vaccination campaigns in EU member states as well as in ongoing and additional studies conducted by the company and by European authorities, it added.
Get a daily dose of Michigan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Michigan Sun.
More InformationFRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump says the United States could soon reach a trade deal with India. He believes this deal would...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...