Pharmaceutical giants BioNTech-Pfizer on Wednesday said that their vaccine displayed 100% efficacy against COVID-19 in 12 to 15-year-olds, reports AFP. The company will now attempt to get FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for adolescents to get the jabs before the next school year

“With the hope to
start vaccination for the aforementioned age group, we are planning to submit
the data to US regulator, as our amended proposal to already issues emergency use authorization, as well as other concerned bodies around the world in the
coming weeks,” said Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla.

BioNTech CEO said the results show encouraging protection in teens considering the recent trends regarding the spread of the UK variant of the virus.

The BioNTech/Pfizer shot is based on novel mRNA technology and was the first COVID-19 vaccine to be approved in the West late last year.

Both the United States and the European Union have approved its use for people aged 16 and above.

Since then, it has been used in millions of adults in more than 65 countries.

BioNTech said improved efficiency and new cooperation agreements with outside partners had also helped lift its vaccine target, as had the regulatory nod allowing vaccinators to extract six instead of just five doses from a single BioNTech/Pfizer vial.

BioNTech and Pfizer last week began studies of the jab on children, with the first group of five-to-11 year olds getting the vaccine.

A younger cohort of two-to-five year olds are expected to get their first dose next week in the study which will also cover children as young as six months old.