bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Agencies

US regulators authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12 and said they could begin receiving shots as soon as Thursday, widening the country’s inoculation programme as vaccination rates have slowed significantly.
Vaccinating younger ages is considered an important step for getting children back into schools safely.
The vaccine has been available under an emergency use authorisation to people as young as 16 in the United States.
Peter Marks, director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said that states would likely be able to begin vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds after an advisory committee of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the expansion on Wednesday.
“This is a promising development in our fight against the virus,” said US President Joe Biden.
Study finds Pfizer vaccine stands up well against Covid-19 variants
The head of the European Medicines Agency said that BioNTech-Pfizer’s jab soon could be approved for 12 to 15-year-olds in the EU, as well, perhaps as early as this month.
But the World Health Organization in Geneva warned the variant spreading in India appears to be more contagious, classifying it as a “variant of concern at the global level”.
The virus is still surging in many countries and the pandemic has killed close to 3.3 million people worldwide since late 2019, upending normal life and causing global economic chaos.
Rapid vaccination programmes, however, have allowed a number of wealthy nations to start taking steps towards normality.


Ireland on Monday lifted domestic travel restrictions and began a phased reopening of non-essential retailers, while Greece opened nursery, elementary and middle schools ahead of kicking off the tourist season from May 14.
Tourism might get a shot in the arm from the European Union, which said it was “fully on track” to ensure a Covid health pass would be ready in June to boost travel.
Britain, which has the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe, announced the reopening of indoor seating in pubs and restaurants in England from next week.
This easing came as the country reported no daily virus deaths for the first time in over a year following a successful vaccination campaign.
Why BioNTech chose Singapore as its Asia Pacific vaccine hub
Spain, which at the weekend lifted a six-month state of emergency and allowed travel between regions, sounded a note of caution after joyful crowds celebrated in the streets without masks or social distancing.
“The virus threat still exists,” Justice Minister Juan Carlos Campo wrote in El Pais, urging Spaniards to behave “responsibly”.
Cyprus this week exited a third partial lockdown with a new coronavirus “safety pass” system to allow people to move freely.
In Milan, the legendary La Scala opera house triumphantly reopened after six months of pandemic-imposed closure.


And in Germany, people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 were exempt from many restrictions from Sunday after the government passed new legislation.
Berlin also opened access to the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to all adults on Monday, lifting a priority system.
But in Norway, an expert government committee recommended the Johnson & Johnson and the AstraZeneca jabs be dropped over the risks of rare but serious side effects.
India was suffering from one of the worst outbreaks in the world. The devastating wave has overwhelmed its health care system, and experts have said official figures for cases and fatalities are much lower than the actual numbers.
BioNTech on Monday sought to allay fears around the mutation in India, saying that “to date, there is no evidence” that the jab needs to be adapted to fight the emerging variants.
WHO gives emergency approval to China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine
The United States remains the worst-hit nation, with the highest number of known fatalities and infections.
But the real death toll may be higher than the official figure of 581,000, with a University of Washington study released last week estimating deaths at more than 900,000.
New infections have come down since January as more than 114 million people have been fully vaccinated through the country’s ambitious vaccine roll-out.
But US biotech firm Novavax said Monday it had delayed plans to seek authorisation for its Covid vaccine candidate, a setback for developing countries hoping the injection would soon be available through the Covax programme.
Agence France-Presse and Reuters


Xi puts faith in Lee to deliver on Hong Kong economic development, reform

China’s dwindling Western expat workforce should be cause for concern

Biden commutes 1,500 sentences, pardons 39 people in biggest single-day act of clemency

US hotels welcome Indian tourist boom to ‘fill the gap’ from lower East Asian demand

Coronavirus pandemic

US authorises Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children as young as 12

Pfizer and BioNTech said in March that their two-dose vaccine regimen was shown to be safe and highly effective in a trial of 2,260 12-to-15-year-olds. Photo: AP

Pfizer vaccine stands up well against Covid-19 variants, Qatar study finds

A study supported by Qatar’s public health ministry has found the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be effective at preventing severe cases of infection from two Covid-19 variants. Photo: AFP

Coronavirus: deadly ‘black fungus’ adds to India’s pandemic woes

Relatives wearing protective gear prepare for the burial of a Covid-19 patient in Srinagar on Friday. Photo: AFP

Coronavirus: Malaysia to enter new lockdown as Muhyiddin warns of national crisis

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a woman in Kajang, Malaysia, to test for Covid-19. Photo: Xinhua

24 April 2021, Indonesia, Jakarta: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (2nd R) takes part in a special Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders' Meeting on the crisis in Myanmar chaired by Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Photo: Ihsan Pmo/BERNAMA/dpa

News

World

United States & Canada

Coronavirus

US & Canada

Health & Medicine

Shots for 12 to 15-year-olds could begin as soon as Thursday
Covid-19 has killed close to 3.3 million people worldwide


US regulators said children in this age group could begin receiving shots as soon as Thursday.


US authorises Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children as young as 12

Shots for 12 to 15-year-olds could begin as soon as Thursday Covid-19 has killed close to 3.3 million people worldwide

Shots for 12 to 15-year-olds could begin as soon as Thursday

Covid-19 has killed close to 3.3 million people worldwide