The Pfizer vaccine currently being rolled out across Australia and many parts of the world has now been approved by Australia’s medical regulator for children aged 12 to 15.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has today released a statement to provisionally approve the distribution of Pfizer in people aged 12 and above, having previously been limited to those 16 and older.
Announced in the midst of Australia’s grapple to contain the Delta strain whilst NSW, VIC and SA all remain in lockdown heading into the weekend, the approval comes following evaluation of data gathered from clinic studies with adolescents aged 12 to 15.
The decision has received support by the independent expert Advisory Committee on Vaccines, with the TGA releasing a full report and evaluation on their decision for Australians to read.
With Australia’s rate of vaccine roll-out currently one of the worst in the world, the announcement is another step towards the country being fully vaccinated in its fight against COVID-19 and comes following meeting with experts from across the globe each offering advice throughout the deliberations and assessment.
During the daily COVID-19 update for South Australia on 22 July, Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier announced that discussions were underway to reevaluate the groups currently eligible for the vaccine in South Australia, which stands at those aged 40 and over, or medical workers.
Spurrier noted that essential workers such as those on the front-lines of retail will be considered for the next roll-out of the vaccine.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke yesterday to accept responsibility for the slow roll out across the country, stating that “no country has got it 100% right” but insisting that an increasing number of pharmacies are now eligible to distribute the AstraZeneca vaccine, and praising the arrival of 1,000,000 Pfizer doses into the country this week.
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