|
 The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, will
likely provide further reassurance the shot is effective against the
variant among younger people as the U.S. drug watchdog considers
authorising use of the vaccine on children as young as five.
The study found the estimated vaccine effectiveness against
documented COVID-19 infection in adolescents was 90%, and 93%
against symptomatic COVID-19, on days seven to 21 after the second
dose.
Israel's Clalit health maintenance organisation and Harvard
University researchers reviewed data from 94,354 vaccine recipients
aged 12 to 18 who were matched with an identical number of
unvaccinated adolescents from the same age group.
The research was conducted between June and September, when the
Delta variant was the main strain in Israel.
In a statement late on Wednesday, Clalit said the study was one of
the largest peer-reviewed evaluations conducted among the age group
of the effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta variant.
[to top of second column] |
 Earlier this week, an analysis
released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) showed the Pfizer Inc /BioNTech
vaccine was 93% effective in preventing
hospitalisations among those aged 12 to 18.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is authorised for children as young as
12, and the companies are seeking further approval from the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration for use in those as young as five.
A panel of advisers to the FDA is expected to weigh in on data on
young children later this month.
In England, the spread of COVID-19 among children is fuelling a rise
in cases and causing concern among some scientists that vaccines are
being rolled out in schools too slowly.
(Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
