The United States plans to authorize the Pfizer vaccine in children 12 to 15 years of age

For next week, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to authorize the use of the coronavirus vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and BioNTech for children and young people from the age of 12 years, according to the newspaper

The New York Times

reported on Monday

.

The announcement comes just a month after the company learned that its vaccine, which is now licensed for young people 16 years and older, also protected the younger population.

The New York newspaper reports that, according to the sources consulted, the decision to authorize this inoculation will be announced by the FDA even before next week.

Those same sources report that the state agency plans to approve the use of Pfizer's vaccine even for children younger than 12 years old in the fall as well.

More information

• BioNTech co-founders: "This vaccine is just the beginning"

• BioNTech co-founder assures that a third dose of his vaccine will be necessary

The United States is the country in the world with the highest number of total infections, with more than 32 million registered. About 50% of the population has been vaccinated, at least, with a first dose, but for different reasons and, according to a survey carried out by Axios-Ipsos in April, one in five Americans says they will not be vaccinated against covid-19. The United States has ordered the purchase of at least 300 million doses of Pfizer by the end of July, enough to vaccinate 150 million people.

The multinational last month asked the US authorities to authorize the emergency use of its vaccine between 12 and 15 years after carrying out a study with 2,260 individuals that showed 100% efficacy in that age group. According to the pharmacist, the vaccine was "well tolerated" by children and the side effects were generally consistent with those seen in participants aged 16 to 25 years.

So far, Pfizer is the only company offering to lower the age limit on those vaccinated. By the middle of this year, Moderna is expected to advance the results of its studies in the US in boys between 12 and 17 years old. In a promising sign, the FDA already allows both companies, Pfizer and Moderna, to begin trials in the United States in children 11 years and younger, up to six months of age.

Approving the use of Pfizer for children ages 12 to 15 will allow millions of additional people to be vaccinated in the United States, where more than 100 million people - a third of the population - have completed their vaccination so far. According to experts, immunizing children, who make up about 20% of the US population, is essential to ending the coronavirus pandemic, noting that the country is unlikely to achieve herd immunity until the children are also vaccinated.

Last week, it was known that the vaccine from BionNtech (German company) and Pfizer (North American) will need a third dose at nine months or at most a year after the second, according to Ugur Sahin, co-founder of BioNTech, to increase again protection against coronavirus.

The scientist explained that the most recent studies show that immunity decreases over the months and that it will be necessary to reactivate it with a third dose, and probably with successive doses every year or year and a half.

It is somewhat similar to what happens with seasonal flu.

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