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Bahrain has approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for children aged between 5 and 11 years, the government media office said on Tuesday.
The decision came after a study involving 3,100 children aged between 5 and 11 who were administered with the vaccine found it to be 90.7% effective in that age group, said the statement, citing the National Health Regulatory Authority.
None of the children involved in the study showed severe side effects, it said.
Bahrain will be supplied with doses from the manufacturer for the 5-11 age group from the start of 2022, it said.
Late last month, US too authorized Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years.
The FDA authorized a 10-microgram dose of Pfizer’s vaccine in young children, lower than the 30 micrograms in the original vaccine for those age 12 and older.
Advisers on the FDA panel said a lower dose could help mitigate some of the rare side effects after paying close attention to the rate of heart inflammation, or myocarditis, that has been linked to both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, especially in young men.
The regulator said on Friday that known and potential benefits of the Pfizer vaccine in individuals aged between 5 and 11 outweigh the risks.
For the pediatric shots, the FDA has authorized a new version of the vaccine, which uses a new buffer and allows them to be stored in refrigerators for up to 10 weeks.