NZ regulator approves Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 year olds

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19
Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are pictured in a vaccination centre in Geneva, Switzerland, February 3, 2021. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

WELLINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - New Zealand's medicines regulator Medsafe has provisionally approved the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday.

“After careful consideration of the most up-to-date scientific and medical data available, Medsafe has announced provisional approval for our young people to be given the Pfizer vaccine,” Ardern said in a statement.

There are around 265,000 children in the 12-15 age bracket in New Zealand, she said.

Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman

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