EMA approves Pfizer vaccine for children aged between 5 and 11

EMA approves Pfizer vaccine for children aged between 5 and 11

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light this Thursday, November 25, for children aged between 5 and 11 years old to be vaccinated with Pfizer against Covid-19. It was agreed that this age group could safely receive an injection containing one-third of the normal dose, which will be 10 milligrams. As with adults, they will need to be double-jabbed, three weeks apart.

With this decision by the EMA, Europe joins the United States and Canada, both of whom approved the pediatric vaccine a month ago.

In Spain, between the ages of 5 and 11, the 14-day rate per 100,000 inhabitants currently stands at 203.57 cases. This figure is well ahead of the second group, that of people aged between 40 and 49, who register 155.91.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), some 3,350,000 Spanish children may receive the vaccine, although there are still a few weeks before the inoculations will begin.

First, the Vaccine Board must issue a report that will have to be corroborated by the Public Health Commission, and by the Ministry of Health. The Basque Country gave some clue about their deadline, announcing that it will try to start the doses in December. AEMPS, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products, reported that the vaccine will begin to be distributed in the European Union during the second half of December.

In a report from the EMA, Pfizer has shown an efficacy of 90.7 per cent in tests carried out on a sample of 2,000 children between these ages. Side effects were classified as “mild to moderate”, with the most common being localised pain in the area of ​​the jab, fatigue, and headache or muscle pain. All of them can last a few days.

In any case, says the EMA, the benefits of the vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years “outweigh the risks, especially when administered to those who have comorbidities that may increase the risk of contracting a severe form of the disease”.

Following the EMA’s decision, the Spanish Pediatric Association recommended vaccination of all children in this age group in order to “protect them, maintain safe educational spaces, and achieve group immunity”.

At the same time, Jose Antonio Forcada, the president of Anenvanc, the National Association for Nursing and Vaccines, explained that the vaccine in children is “highly effective. Vaccinating them is a correct decision, because although they transmit less, and suffer a milder disease, there are cases in this age group”, as reported by diariosur.es.

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