Pfizer filed for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under five

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have sought approval from U.S. authorities to use a coronavirus vaccine they have developed for children aged six months to five years.

A request for emergency use of the first two doses of the vaccine among children under five years old has been sent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Earlier, the FDA had asked vaccine manufacturers to file as soon as possible amid the spread of the omicron strain of coronavirus, which often infects children.

“With the increasing number of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in children under five years of age, our shared goal with the FDA is to prepare for future variants of the infection and to enable parents to protect their children from this virus,” said Pfizer chief Albert Burla. He noted, however, that children would need three doses of the vaccine to achieve a “high level of protection” against the infection. “If we get approval for two doses, parents will be able to start vaccinating children against COVID-19 while waiting for approval for the third dose,” Burla explained.

If approved by the FDA, use of the vaccine in that age group should be recommended by the U.S. federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).