The trials also showed that while the subjects experienced sore arms, fatigue and headaches the next day, the side effects disappeared quickly and there were no safety issues. Pfizer coronavirus vaccines ready to be administered are seen lined up. (Photo by=Mainichi/Osamu Sukagawa) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] TOKYO: Making it the first in Japan to be available for the age group, the country’s health ministry panel approved Thursday the administration of Pfizer Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine to children aged 5 to 11, Kyodo reported.
Around 7 million children will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from March at the earliest once it’s granted special approval by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The U.S. pharmaceutical giant and its German partner BioNTech SE applied last November for Japanese government approval to inoculate children aged 5 to 11 with their jointly developed vaccine. Their vaccine is now available only to people aged 12 and older in Japan.
Experts have been divided on the necessity of vaccinating young children as they’re unlikely to develop serious symptoms even if infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A vaccine panel of the health ministry is debating whether to urge children aged 5 to 11 to be inoculated as it urges those aged 12 and above who aren’t pregnant. Meanwhile, data from clinical trials conducted by Pfizer in the United States and other countries show that the administration of the vaccine was 90.7 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 infections in children aged 5 to 11.