Pfizer Vaccine Claimed Safe for Kids Aged 5-11; Health Ministry Awaits WHO
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23 September 2021 17:49 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the Health Ministry’s spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination, said the government is still waiting for the study from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) regarding the safety of administering COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12 years old.
Nadia made the statement in response to the claim of the United States-based pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer Inc., that its vaccine brand produced together with BioNTech is safe and effective for children aged 5 to 11. The vaccine is already available in Indonesia.
“We are waiting for the WHO’s study and ITAGI’s recommendations as well as the completion of Pfizer's scientific publications. It was just information issued yesterday, not scientific publications,” said Nadia when contacted by Tempo on Thursday, September 23.
Until now, the Health Ministry has only allowed the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12-17. The COVID-19 vaccine is administered intramuscularly as a series of two doses, 0.3 mL each, 21 days apart.
Read: Govt Studies Possibilities of Sinovac, Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
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