Pfizer vaccines effective in kids aged 5 to 11

U.S pharma giant Pfizer on Monday said that its Covid-19 vaccines work for children aged 5 to 11 and will begin the procedure to seek authorisation of the Joe Biden administration soon.

The Covid-19 vaccine is already available for anyone aged 12 and above. With kids back in school amidst an outbreak of delta variant in the U.S., many parents are anxiously awaiting vaccinations for their younger children.

For testing purposes, Pfizer used a much lower dose - a third of the amount being administered currently. 'After receiving their second dose, the children developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels just as strong as teenagers and young adults,' said Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president.

'I think we really hit the sweet spot,' continued Gruber, who's also a pediatrician.

Earlier, FDA chief Dr. Peter Marks told AP that once Pfizer turns over its study results, his agency would evaluate the data “hopefully in a matter of weeks” to determine if the shots are safe and effective.

'Once the vaccine is authorized for younger children, they'll be carefully monitored for rare risks just like everyone else.' said Pfizer's Gruber.