JERUSALEM, October 21 (Reuters) – The Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing infections and symptomatic illnesses of the Delta variant in 12 to 18 year olds, according to research conducted in Israel.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, will likely provide further reassurance that the vaccine is effective against the variant in young people, as the US watchdog plans to allow the vaccine to be used on children as young as five years old. .

The study found that the vaccine’s estimated efficacy against documented COVID-19 infection in adolescents was 90% and 93% against symptomatic COVID-19, from days 7 to 21 after the second dose.

Israeli health maintenance organization Clalit and researchers at Harvard University examined data from 94,354 vaccinated people aged 12 to 18 who were matched with an identical number of unvaccinated adolescents from the same group of age.

The research was conducted between June and September, when the Delta variant was the main strain in Israel.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Clalit said the study was one of the largest peer-reviewed assessments conducted among the age group of the effectiveness of the Delta variant vaccine.

Earlier this week, an analysis released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that the Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) / BioNTech (22UAy.DE) vaccine was 93% effective in preventing hospitalizations among 12 to 18 year olds.

The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is licensed for children as young as 12, and companies are seeking further approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in children under five.

A panel of FDA advisers is expected to weigh in on data on young children later this month.

In England, the spread of COVID-19 among children is fueling an increase in cases and worrying some scientists over the too slow deployment of vaccines in schools. Read more

Reporting by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Nick Macfie

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