Pfizer and BioNTech say lower dose of COVID-19 vaccine proved safe, effective in kids 5 to 11

Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday morning that its COVID-19 vaccine was shown to be "safe, well-tolerated, and showed robust neutralizing antibody responses" in children 5 to 11. The 2,268 trial participants in that age group were given two smaller doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and the "results provide a strong foundation for seeking authorization of our vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old, and we plan to submit them to the FDA and other regulators with urgency," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency approval of the vaccine for kids 12 to 15, and full approval to Americans 16 and older.
"We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorization, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children," Bourla said. "Since July, pediatric cases of COVID-19 have risen by about 240 percent in the U.S. — underscoring the public health need for vaccination."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Pfizer is conducting two other ongoing trials, of kids 2 to 5 and children 6 months to 2 years old, and the results for those studies could be in before the end of the year. Nearly 5.3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.S., NBC News reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The Nare Hotel: a charming hideaway on the Cornish coast
The Week Recommends Upgrade your classic seaside holiday at this five-star country house hotel
By Theo Tait Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 6, 2025
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - weird science, Hoover's heels, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Gilbert & George and the Communists: an 'illuminating' look at the 'peculiar' world of the art duo
The Week Recommends The collaborative art pair's journey to Moscow in 1990 is chronicled in this 'excellent' book
By The Week UK Published
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How close are we to a norovirus vaccine?
Today's Big Question A new Moderna trial raises hopes of vanquishing a stomach bug that sickens millions a year
By David Faris Published