As the vaccination campaign accelerates in Europe, the Pfizer / BioNtech laboratory is thinking of the youngest. The firm will soon ask the European Medicines Agency for authorization to vaccinate adolescents in Europe against Covid-19.
Vaccinate adolescents against the coronavirus
On March 31, Pfizer / BioNtech had already announced that its vaccine is 100% effective in 12 to 15 year olds. Clinical trials have been conducted on more than 2,000 American adolescents. The laboratory then announced that ” The vaccine was well tolerated and side effects were generally consistent with those seen in people aged 16 to 25 years. “. After having asked the American Medicines Agency for its agreement to vaccinate adolescents in the United States, it is today with the European authority that she is making a request. It will take between four and six weeks for scientists to validate clinical trials. The vaccine could therefore be approved during the month of June for European adolescents.
Collective immunity
In France, for the moment, vaccinating the youngest is neither topical nor a priority. However, some health authorities have already explained that to achieve collective immunity, ” we will not be able to do without the under 15s, they represent 18% of the population “. Indeed, even if they are often asymptomatic, young people can transmit the virus to others.