BioNTech-Pfizer say their Covid vaccine is 100 per cent effective on 12-15 year olds

Vaccine makers BioNTech and Pfizer on Wednesday announced that clinical trial data of their Covid vaccine show it is 100 per cent effective on children aged 12-15 years. This is the first Covid-19 vaccine in the world that has reported 100 per cent efficacy on children. The results of the clinical trials are likely to result in countries starting vaccinating children soon. Pfizer is set to ask US health regulators to expand use of its vaccine shots to 12- to 15-year-olds. Currently, Pfizer's vaccine is authorized only for people aged 16 years and above.

However, vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic.Vaccinating children can also be a step that may help countries return towards normalcy with resumption of classes. Releasing the study data, Pfizer said preliminary data showed there were no cases of Covid-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots. Researchers reported high levels of virus-fighting antibodies, somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults. Pfizer said kids participating in the trials had side effects similar to young adults.

The main side effects are pain, fever, chills and fatigue, particularly after the second dose.The study will continue to track participants for two years for more information about long-term protection and safety. "We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. He expressed "the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year" in the United States. AstraZeneca last month began a study of its Covid-19 vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain.Johnson & Johnson is planning its own pediatric studies.