ISRAEL PLANS TO START VACCINATING TEENAGERS AGED 12-16

Thu 01 April 2021:

Israel plans to start vaccinating teenagers aged 12-16 as soon as necessary permissions are received, Israeli Health Ministry spokeswoman Anat Danieli told Sputnik.

“After obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals (from EMA, FDA) confirming that the vaccine is effective and safe for children, the vaccination process will begin, given the availability of the required quantity of the vaccine,” Danieli said.

Earlier in the day, Pfizer and BioNTech pharmaceutical companies said that their vaccine had demonstrated nearly 100 percent efficacy and robust immune responses during phase 3 trial of more than 2,200 adolescents aged 12-15 that exceeded results of earlier trials of participants aged 16-25.

The companies announced plans to submit the data to the US food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to receive emergency use authorization for this age group. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is currently authorized for individuals who are at least 16 years old.

According to Ynet, Israeli Health Minister Yuli Edelstein called this announcement by Pfizer and BioNtech good news and said that the Israeli government should approve the procurement of an additional batch of the vaccine.

-Sputnik