The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the emergency use authotization (EUA) of Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 for 5 to 11 year olds.

FDA head Rolando Eric Domingo told the ''Laging Handa'' virtual forum on Thursday that ''we have determined that it is reasonable to believe that the vaccine may be effective to prevent COVID-19, and that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks."

"We didn't find anything unusual or important safety signals that will prevent us from granting the EUA. Therefore, this is being granted today," he added.

The vaccination of 5-11 year olds is being planned as early as January or when supplies are available.

Domingo said the country has to buy a different dose for children. "It has lower dosage and lower concentration comoared to the vaccines used for adults," he said.

The FDA head said the EUA has been granted based on the experience seen in the use of the said vaccine for the age group in the United States, Europe, and Canada.

"It has a high efficacy rate of above 90 percent for children 5 to 11 years old," noted Domingo. DMS