By Regina Elaine Vendivil

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine showed 90.7% efficacy against COVID-19 in a clinical trial of children from ages 5 to 11, the US drugmaker reported on Friday, October 22, 2021. 

In the trial of 2,268 children, sixteen children who had received a placebo got COVID-19, while only three vaccinated children got infected, according to the briefing documents submitted by Pfizer to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As the number of participants who were given the vaccine was twice as many as those who were given the placebo—the results showed more than 90% efficacy rate. 

The clinical trial of Pfizer was not designed solely to measure its efficacy against the virus, rather, to compare the amount of neutralizing antibodies produced by the COVID-19 vaccine in children to the response of the older recipients during the adult trial.

Based on the trial results last month, the US drugmakers said that their vaccine was safe and was able to induce a robust immune response in the children.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has already received a US regulatory authorization for children aged at least 12 years old and a full FDA approval last August for those 16 and up.

Currently, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for a two-dose regimen of their vaccine for those 5 to 11 years old with the doses administered three weeks apart.

If given the authorization, this would be the first vaccine against the coronavirus for younger children. 

Once permitted, a group of advisors to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are slated to meet on November 2 and 3 to produce recommendations to the agency on the administration of vaccine shots. 

References:

Reuters. (2021, October 22). Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shows 90.7% efficacy in trial in children. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/science/life-health/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-trial-children 

Gumbrecht, J., & CNN. (2021, October 22). Pfizer says its vaccine is 90.7% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 in children ages 5 to 11. CNN Health. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/health/pfizer-kids-vaccine-efficacy/index.html 

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