EU Commission Approves Pfizer Vaccine for 12-15 Year Olds for the First Time

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The European Union (EU) Commission has approved the administration of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine jointly developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German company BioNTech for individuals aged 12 to 15, according to dpa news agency on the 1st.

This is the first time that COVID-19 vaccination has been approved for this age group within the EU. Until now, this vaccine had only been authorized for those aged 16 and above.

Earlier, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended on the 28th of last month to extend the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to those aged 12 to 15.

The EMA stated that whether to use this vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds is up to the individual member states' authorities. The United States and Canada have already approved the vaccination of adolescents aged 12 to 15 with this vaccine.

Stella Kyriakides, the EU Commissioner for Health, also announced on social media platform Twitter the day before, "Today, the EU Commission adopts a decision to approve the use of the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 12 to 15."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.