Apr 1, 2021 2 min read

BioNTech-Pfizer said Wednesday their vaccine is 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 in 12- to 15-year-olds.

Pfizer plans to request emergency use authorization for 12- to 15-year-olds in the coming weeks, “with the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.

Dr. Thomas Corkery, chief medical officer at Allegheny Health Network Canonsburg Hospital, called the results “a positive step forward” in the effort to protect more people against COVID-19 and to make schools safer.

“I think it’s good news,” said Corkery. “I think it’s important that in the future we’ll be able to offer the vaccine to the younger population.”

The Pfizer vaccine trial included 2,260 12- to 15-year-olds in the United States. About half were given the real shots, while the other half received a placebo.

Pfizer said the vaccine “demonstrated 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses” among those who received it.

The Pfizer vaccine is approved for use in people 16 and older in the United States.

“We share the urgency to expand the authorization of our vaccine to use in younger populations and are encouraged by the clinical trial data from adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15,” Bourla said.

Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, said the trial’s results were “very encouraging, given the trends we have seen in recent weeks regarding the spread of the B.1.1.7 UK variant.”

Corkery said he has “no doubt about the safety of the vaccine” and noted that, while studies show that COVID-19 isn’t as severe in children, that doesn’t mean kids aren’t at risk of getting sick – in some cases, seriously ill.

He also noted that in schools where mask-wearing, social distancing and other guidelines are being followed, “kids aren’t a huge harbinger of COVID.”

But if they’re not taking precautions, children very well could spread it to adults.

Meanwhile, Corkery stressed the importance of continuing to vaccinate the adult population.