Accessibility links

Breaking News

Pfizer-BioNTech Say COVID-19 Booster Protects Kids 5-11 Against Omicron


FILE - A health worker administers a dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Reading, Pennsylvania on Sept. 14, 2021.
FILE - A health worker administers a dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Reading, Pennsylvania on Sept. 14, 2021.

U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German COVID-19 vaccine partner, BioNTech, announced Thursday recent trials show booster doses of its vaccine effectively protect healthy children ages 5 to 11 from the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

In a press release, the companies say their phase-three trials examined data from 140 children ages 5 through 11 who received a booster dose approximately 6 months after the initial two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine regimen.

The companies report, while all participants demonstrated significant increased protection, 30 of the trial participants showed omicron-neutralizing antibodies increased by 36 times compared to those who only received the original two-shot dosage.

The companies say more than 10,000 children under the age of 12 have participated in clinical trials investigating the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine with no new safety concerns observed.

The studies have not been published or reviewed by independent scientists.

The companies plan to apply for U.S. Emergency Use Authorization of a booster dose in the 5-11 age group in coming days, with additional submissions to global regulatory agencies, including the European Medicines Agency, to follow.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 and those aged 5 through 11 who are immunocompromised. The FDA has also approved a second booster — or fourth shot overall — of the vaccine for people 50 and older.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG