On Friday, the European Medicines Agency approved the use of the Moderna vaccine against the Corona virus (Covid-19) for people aged 12 to 17 years.
Thus, it becomes the second vaccine allowed for use in adolescents in the 27 European Union countries.
The Spikefax (Moderna) vaccine is given to the age group between 12 and 17 years, similar to those aged 18 years and over, that is, in two doses in the upper arm, separated by 4 weeks.
“The Committee on Medicines for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has recommended that the Spikefax vaccine against Covid-19 (Moderna) be used in children between 12 and 17 years old,” the agency said in a statement.
The effects of Spikefax, produced by the American company Moderna, were studied in a study of 3,732 children between the ages of 12 and 17 years.
The study showed that the effectiveness of the vaccine in the aforementioned age group is similar to its effectiveness in the elderly, aged between 18 and 25 years.
The European Agency concluded that “these results allowed the Committee on Medicines for Human Use to conclude that the efficacy of Spikvax in the 12-17 year old group is similar to that observed in adults.”
The United States, Canada and the 27 European Union countries have previously authorized the use of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine for those aged 12 and over.
Adolescents usually contract forms of Covid-19 that are less dangerous than those detected in the elderly, but they are not immune to receiving infection and contribute to the transmission of the virus among the population, hence the need for them to acquire immunity to contribute to stopping the spread of the epidemic, according to experts.
And the European Commission announced, on Thursday, that half of adults in Europe, or about two hundred million people, are vaccinated against Covid-19.
The most common side effects in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years are similar to those seen in adults and include, but are not limited to, pain and swelling at the injection site, tiredness, headache, and pain in muscles and joints.
The European Medicines Agency explained that “these side effects are usually mild to moderate” and resolve within days.
The European Regulatory Authority concluded that “the benefits of this vaccine in this category outweigh its risks, especially in people who suffer from diseases that severely increase the risk of infection from Covid-19.”
Due to the limited number of children and adolescents included in the study, the study was unable to detect new, uncommon side effects or estimate the risk of known side effects, such as myocarditis and pericarditis, the membrane that covers the heart, as explained by the agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. European Pharmaceuticals.