 |
| ▲ The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (Yonhap) |
Pfizer vaccine-approval
S. Korea approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for young children
By Kim Han-joo
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's drug safety agency on Wednesday authorized the use of global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 5 and 11.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety convened a panel of experts from both inside and outside to review the safety and efficacy of the two-dose regimen, after reviewing Pfizer's clinical studies.
It marks the first time for the agency to authorize the use of COVID-19 vaccines for young children.
The ministry said the vaccine was found to be 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in children aged 5 through 11.
Also, safety was studied in 3,109 children aged between 5 and 11 who were administered with the vaccine, and no serious side effects have been reported.
The side effects observed in the studies were usually mild or moderate and cleared within a couple of days after the inoculation, the ministry said.
The Pfizer vaccine is administered as a two-dose primary series with a three-week interval period.
It is a lower dose of 10 micrograms than the one used for individuals aged 12 years and older, which has a dose of 30 micrograms.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
