A health worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Senja-Cashew Community Center vaccination center in Singapore on March 8, 2021.
Wei Leng Tay | Bloomberg | Getty Images
SINGAPORE – Singapore has approved the use of the Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15, authorities said on Wednesday.
Previously, only people aged 16 and over were allowed to get the shot. The vaccine developed by Moderna is only given to people over the age of 18.
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in Singapore has approved the use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12-15 years as part of the Pandemic Special Access Route for Emergency Therapeutics.
The country’s panel of experts on Covid vaccines assessed the vaccine’s safety, efficacy and tolerability before approving HSA’s preliminary approval.
“The data showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has a high level of potency, consistent with that seen in the adult population,” said a health department press release.
“Its safety profile is also consistent with the known safety profile in the adult population and the standards established for other registered vaccines used in immunization against other diseases,” he added.
Vaccinations for people between 40 and 44 years of age
Singapore also announced that people between the ages of 40 and 44 will be invited to register for their vaccinations starting Wednesday this week.
The vaccination program will continue to be rolled out in five-year-old age groups and gradually switched to younger groups, the press release said.
“Our range of vaccines has grown steadily, but remains limited in view of the high global demand,” it said.
Still, the Ministry of Health said it was on track to complete the vaccination program by the end of the year “if our supplies arrive as planned”.
As of May 17, Singapore had administered more than 3.4 million doses of the vaccine. At least 1.4 million people have received their second dose.
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