[ti:Pfizer Says its COVID-19 Vaccine Protects Teenage Children] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine [00:05.72]is safe and strongly protects children as young as 12. [00:11.36]The news may lead to vaccinating that age group [00:15.68]before they return to school in the autumn. [00:19.44]Most COVID-19 vaccines available are for adults, [00:25.04]who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. [00:28.92]Pfizer’s vaccine is approved for children ages 16 and older. [00:34.96]But vaccinating children of all ages might be important [00:40.12]to stopping the spread of the coronavirus. [00:43.64]In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, [00:52.36]early results showed there were no cases of COVID-19 [00:57.24]among those fully vaccinated. [00:59.68]There were 18 cases of coronavirus infection [01:03.92]among those given a placebo, Pfizer reported. [01:07.88]The study was small and has not yet been published. [01:12.40]However, researchers reported high levels of antibodies, [01:17.48]somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults. [01:21.80]The children had side effects that were similar [01:25.44]to those of young adults, the company said. [01:28.72]The main side effects are pain, high temperature, [01:33.04]chills and tiredness, especially after the second injection. [01:38.32]The study will continue to follow the children for two years [01:43.08]for more information about protection and safety. [01:46.96]Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech plan in the coming weeks [01:53.12]to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators [01:59.08]to permit emergency use of the vaccine starting at age 12. [02:04.92]“We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine,” [02:10.72]Pfizer cheif Albert Bourla said in a statement. [02:15.80]He expressed “the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group [02:20.60]before the start of the next school year” in the United States. [02:26.36]Pfizer is not the only company [02:29.24]seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. [02:33.12]Results also are expected by the middle of this year [02:37.56]from a U.S. study of Moderna’s vaccine in 12 to 17 year olds. [02:44.52]Because the findings were promising, the FDA already permitted [02:49.72]both companies to begin U.S. studies on children 11 and younger. [02:56.08]They plan to study children as young as 6 months old in the future. [03:02.00]The chief of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin said in a statement: [03:07.68]“We are longing for a normal life. This is especially true for our children.” [03:14.16]AstraZeneca last month began a study of [03:17.96]its vaccine on children ages 6 to 17 in Britain. [03:24.32]Johnson & Johnson is planning its own studies. [03:28.24]In China, Sinovac recently announced it has given new data [03:33.88]to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine is safe in children as young as 3. [03:40.68]One important question is the amount of vaccine: [03:45.08]Pfizer gave the 12-and-older children the same amount as adults. [03:50.56]It is testing different amounts in younger children. [03:55.56]It is unclear how quickly the FDA would act on Pfizer’s request [04:00.80]to permit vaccination starting at age 12. [04:05.44]The agency has taken about three weeks to study and approve [04:10.08]each of the vaccines now available for adults. [04:14.84]Children represent about 13 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. [04:22.28]Children are far less likely than adults to get seriously sick. [04:28.00]However, at least 268 children have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. [04:34.84]and more than 13,500 have been hospitalized, [04:39.56]the American Academy of Pediatrics reports. [04:44.52]A small number have developed serious swelling linked to the coronavirus. [04:50.60]Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, [04:54.28]was one of the volunteers for the vaccine study. [04:58.48]He does not know if he received the vaccine or a placebo. [05:04.16]He said the study “was really somewhere that I could actually help out.” [05:10.32]His father, Dr. Richard Chung, a North Carolina doctor, [05:15.60]said he is proud of his son. [05:18.44]I’m Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM