UDINE. Green light from the European Medicines Agency (Ema) for the administration of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the age group between 12 and 15 years. Marco Cavaleri from Ema explains it. The use of the vaccine “will be the same for people aged 16 and over”. It is given as two injections into the muscles of the upper arm, given three weeks apart. The vaccine would be highly protective as none of the young people it was tested on developed the disease.
‘The most common side effects in boys aged 12 to 15 are similar to those in people aged 16 and over. They include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, chills, and fever. These effects are generally mild or moderate and improve within a few days of vaccination, ”the European agency said.
Regarding the use of different vaccines for the first and second dose, the EMA takes stock of the studies. “There are two trials underway regarding the use of different vaccines between the first and second dose, particularly in combination between AstraZeneca and an mRna vaccine. One is in Great Britain and the other in Spain. From the data we receive it seems that there are no problems with regards to safety and it seems that this method also provides robust immune coverage, ”said Marco Cavaleri.