Vaccination of the entire population is a top priority for protection against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Theodora Psaltopoulou, Giannis Danasis, Panos Malandrakis, Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA) summarize the latest data.
According to a Pfizer announcement (Follow-Up Data From Phase 3 Trial of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Support Safety and High Efficacy in Adolescents 12 Through 15 Years of Age | Pfizer) the BNT162b2 vaccine provides long-term protection against the SARS virus -CoV-2 in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.
The study included 2,228 participants and was monitored during the period November 2020 to September 2021. More specifically, the two doses of the vaccine were 100% effective in protecting against COVID-19 during the period 7 days to 4 months after the second dose.
None of the vaccinated were diagnosed with COVID-19, while 30 cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed among those not vaccinated. The efficacy of the vaccine was the same regardless of the sex, ethnicity, race and comorbidity of the participants.
Participants were also evaluated for vaccine safety issues and no serious health problems were identified for 6 months after vaccination.
Based on the data of this preliminary analysis, the company will incorporate the petitions to regulators in the US and Europe for full approval of the BNT162b2 vaccine at a dose of 30 micrograms in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. At present, this vaccine has received full approval for ages 16 and over and emergency approval for ages 12-15. In conclusion, these results increase confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine against COVID-19.
.
