The United States is the second country to endorse the Pfizer anticovid vaccine in adolescents; Canada was the first.
United States authorizes Pfizer’s anticovíd vaccine in adolescents
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized in the United States the application of the Pfizer anticovid vaccine to minors between 12 and 15 years of age, becoming the second country to approve it in adolescents, only after Canada.
“The FDA’s expansion of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine to include adolescents 12 to 15 years of age is a significant step in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic,” FDA acting commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.
The FDA determined that Pfizer-BioNTech’s covid vaccine has met the statutory criteria, and the known and potential benefits of this vaccine in persons 12 years of age and older outweigh the known and potential risks, supporting its use in this population.
The United States is not the first country to license the Pfizer anticovid vaccine in children 12 to 15 years of age, previously Canada also did so, who became the first nation to do so.
“This is the first vaccine licensed in Canada for the prevention of covid-19 in children and marks a significant milestone in Canada’s fight against the pandemic,” said Health Canada chief medical advisor Supriya Sharma at a press conference.
