Pfizer Gives 100% Protection at Ages 12-15; Paving Way for Full School Reopenings

Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine in a final-stage trial is 100% effective for kids ages 12 to 15, which could pave the way for teens and pre-teens to get shots before the next school year.

Pfizer's vaccine is already authorized for ages 16 and up in the U.S.

"In the study of 2,260 adolescents, the vaccine produced antibodies against the Covid-19 that exceeded the level seen in vaccinated young adults, Pfizer and BioNTech said in a statement," Bloomberg reports. "All 18 cases of Covid-19 in the study were in adolescents who were administered a placebo, the companies said. Side effects were consistent with those experienced by people ages 16 to 25."

Moderna says it's also studying its vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17 and is on track to yield updated data in the middle of this year.

Earlier this month, both Pfizer and Moderna began trials of their vaccines in kids under 12.

Schools should have been fully reopened months -- months -- ago. But if the target date is now the fall, forcing many students to lose out on the rest of this year, there should be no debate come the start of the 2021 school year. All the schools should be open, in person, and operating in pre-pandemic capacities.

We are getting through this.