Pfizer Says Covid-19 Vaccine Effective in Children Age 12–15

Great news for teens who are ready to get back to normal.

Pfizer announced in a press release highly encouraging results from their Phase 3 clinical trial. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was 100% effective and generated a high antibody response in children aged 12–15.

Pfizer plans to submit these findings to the FDA and request emergency use authorization.

A Phase 3 study included 2,260 US participants. The research detected only 18 cases of Covid-19, and all were in the placebo group. None were in the study participants who received the vaccine.

Until recently, infection rates in children have been low. Children are often asymptomatic carriers but can pass the infection on to parents, teachers, and grandparents. The rise of variants such as B.1.1.7 is changing the way we view Covid-19 in children. A youth sports outbreak in Minneapolis was a wake-up call to public health experts.

February data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association show over 3 million children have contracted Covid-19 resulting in 268 death. A disturbing breakdown of the CDC data shows that 75% of Covid-19 deaths among children of color.

The press release is available for review here.