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A boy is vaccinated against the coronavirus (symbol photo)
Photo: Maren Fischinger / Westend61 / imago images
After the emergency approval of the corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer for children between the ages of five and eleven in the US, a panel of experts from the US health authority CDC has now given the go-ahead.
The formal step had been expected.
This means that the vaccination campaign for the approximately 28 million affected children in the USA can now start.
According to information from Biontech / Pfizer, a clinical study has shown that the vaccine is "well tolerated" for children of this age group and elicits a "strong immune response" one month after the second dose.
Compared to adults and adolescents, the five to eleven year olds were given a significantly lower dose of the vaccine.
They received the second injection they needed after 21 days.
2268 children of the age group in question took part in the study.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the move as a "turning point in our fight against Covid-19".
"We have already secured adequate vaccine supplies for every child in America," a White House statement said.
For parents, months of worrying about their children because of Corona have now ended.
The Corona coordinator of the White House, Jeff Zients, said the delivery of the children's vaccination doses had started, and vaccination appointments for girls and boys of the age group could already be arranged at some practices and pharmacies. From next week, the vaccination program for five to eleven year olds should run in full - then vaccinations should be possible at 20,000 locations in the country, including in pediatric practices, children's hospitals and pharmacies. Zients described the approval of the vaccine for younger children as a "milestone" in the fight against the pandemic.
The preparation from the German manufacturer Biontech and its US partner Pfizer is already approved in the USA for children and adolescents from the age of twelve and for adults.
The active ingredients from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are currently only allowed to be used in adults.
Biontech and Pfizer have also applied for approval of their corona vaccine for children in Europe, as they announced in mid-October.
Accordingly, they transmitted the relevant data to the EU Medicines Agency (EMA).
A decision by the EMA is planned before Christmas.
jso / dpa