An external advisory body to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to recommend the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years.
The Vaccine and Biologics Advisory Committee, an FDA advisory body, held a meeting on the COVID-19 vaccine and voted as such.
It is known that 16 of the 17 advisory board members, excluding one who abstained, believed the benefits of the Pfizer vaccine outweigh the potential risks.
"When you hear the news that children are hospitalized in intensive care units, that children are suffering from the long-lasting effects of COVID-19, and that children are dying, the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks," said Dr. I was sure," he said.
The FDA is not obligated to follow this decision, but most of the time, it has made the same decision as the Advisory Committee's opinion.
Local foreign media also predicted that the FDA would approve emergency use within a few days.
Previously, Pfizer reported in data submitted to the FDA that its vaccine was 90.7% effective in children aged 5 to 11 years.
The US government has identified 28 million children aged 5-11 years who are subject to vaccination, and if the FDA obtains emergency use approval, it is expected that the actual vaccination will be possible from the beginning of next month after undergoing additional procedures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the United States, Pfizer vaccines are currently available to those aged 12 and older, and Moderna and Janssen vaccines are available to those aged 18 and older.
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)