The European Medicine Agency (EMA) has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, which is adapted to the Omicron variant, for children aged five and older, the agency announced on Friday.
The vaccine adapted for the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants had already been approved as a booster for people aged 12 years and older.
The EU Commission still has to approve the recommendation, but that is considered a formality.
The experts said they expect a broader protection against different COVID-19 variants.
The manufacturers pointed to studies showing strong immune responses against the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants in people over 18 years of age 30 days after vaccination.
The adapted vaccine was said to be as tolerable and safe as the original one.
