US permits use of Pfizer vaccine for children

FDA in a statement Monday said that the vaccine is safe and effective for children aged 12 to 15.

The Pfizer vaccine is already being administered to people over the age of 16 in the United States for emergency use.

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Wood Cook said in a statement that "the approval of the Pfizer vaccine will save the young population from COVID-19, which will allow them to return to normalcy and end the epidemic."

Children make up around 20% of the total U.S. population, according to government data. Between 70% and 85% of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated against Covid to achieve herd immunity, experts say, and some adults may refuse to get the shots. Though more experts now say herd immunity is looking increasingly unlikely as variants spread.

The Pfizer vaccine against corona is the first pediatric vaccine to be approved in the United States.

Pfizer released preliminary results of its research in March this year after vaccinating 2,260 children aged 12 to 14 in the United States.

The results showed that none of the children vaccinated were infected with COVID-19 and none of them had any serious side effects.

The FDA's decision to approve the coronavirus vaccine for children comes at a time when the US government is trying to vaccinate large numbers of the population.

The announcement from the FDA also comes amid President Joe Biden’s push to reopen schools for in-person learning. The Biden administration has already said it would pour $10 billion into Covid testing for schools to hasten the return to in-person classes across the country.

Millions of middle and high school students are expected to be vaccinated before school starts in the fall.

However, most children with COVID have very few or no symptoms of the virus and are transmitting the virus to others.