South Africa approves Pfizer vaccine for children aged over 12

South Africa approved Pfizer’s vaccine for use for children over the age of 12, a boost to the country’s immunisation programme.

The move follows a review of updated safety and efficacy information and doesn’t translate into a procurement decision, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority said Sunday. Regulators approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech SE for local use in adults in March.

Africa’s most developed country has been the hardest hit by the pandemic, reporting the the highest number of infections. Around 12% of the nation has been fully vaccinated, with the country of about 60 million people now bracing for a fourth wave of infections to hit in early December.

The approval comes after Sinovac Biotech said a Covid-19 vaccine trial in infants, children and adolescents would take place in South Africa as part of a global study.

© 2021 Bloomberg