American children aged 12-15 are to be given the Pfizer-BioNtech coronavirus vaccine according to the US Food & Drug Administration, which has already been authorised the vaccine for those over-16.
“Vaccinating a younger population brings us closer to returning to normal and ending the pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner, Dr Janet Woodcock. “The agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available scientific data, as we have with all Covid-19 vaccine authorisations.”
US President, Joe Biden hailed the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine authorisation as “a promising development in our fight against the virus” and urged all States to make it available immediately.
Most children either develop mild coronavirus symptoms or none at all, but they can still spread the virus and some children do become very ill.
The vaccine programme is crucial for ending the pandemic, but some parents may be reluctant to have their children immunised.