Pfizer says 3rd dose of its vaccine is effective in kids under 5

A three-dose regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong immune response in kids under five, the company says.

Pfizer on Monday said a trial examining a third dose of its vaccine in young kids found the vaccine's efficacy to be 80.3 percent in children between six months and under five years old. Children in the trial received a third shot, a smaller dose than adults receive, two months after the second dose. There were over 1,600 participants in the trial.

"These topline safety, immunogenicity and efficacy data are encouraging, and we look forward to soon completing our submissions to regulators globally with the hope of making this vaccine available to younger children as quickly as possible, subject to regulatory authorization," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said.

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BioNTech founder Ugur Sahin also said the trial suggests the vaccine "provides young children with a high level of protection against the recent COVID-19 strains," and the companies plan to finish submitting data to the Food and Drug Administration this week. The FDA is expected to evaluate whether to authorize a vaccine for kids under five in June.