Pfizer vaccine safe for adolescents, trials suggest

Early clinical trials conducted for the Covid vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech suggest the jab may be "100% safe and effective" in immunising adolescents as young as 12, the companies claim.

The two firms carried out trials in the US on youngsters between 12 and 15 and claim the tests have been successful.

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Pfizer higher-ups hope rollout on teenagers could begin before the new school year, allowing them to get back to class without worry.

The company are set to send the vaccine for emergency authorisation with a US regulator for use on students next week with the hopes of full rollout by autumn.

The vaccine has already been approved in people ages 16 and over. This new study provides insight as to how it could work with those under that age.

Experts claim rolling out the vaccine to younger people may be essential in stemming the tide of the pandemic as well as in helping schools return to normal.

The trial was conducted on 2,260 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15. There were 18 cases of Covid in the placebo group and none in those given the jab.

This means the vaccine could be 100% effective should the trial data hold up in a real-life scenario.

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The firms also report the vaccine was well-handled with similar side-effect risks as those found in the 16-25 trials.

Side-effects found in the younger group alone were not listed, although the adult trials showed moderate side-effect, such as vaccine pain, headaches and fatigue.

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