European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE) interim recommendations, June 2021

Overview

On 27 May 2021, SAGE reviewed data from Pfizer-BioNTech Phase 2/3 randomized controlled trial in adolescents 12–15 years of age and concluded that the known and potential benefits of BNT162b2 outweigh the known and potential risks in this age group. SAGE indicated the intended use of BNT162b2 for persons 12 years of age and older. SAGE recommended that countries should consider using BNT162b2 in adolescents age 12–15 only when high coverage with a complete vaccination series has been achieved in the high priority groups as identified in the WHO Prioritization Roadmap. Adolescents 12–15 years of age with comorbidities that put them at significantly higher risk of serious COVID-19 disease, alongside other high-risk groups, may be offered vaccination1.SAGE stated that as a matter of global equity, as long as many parts of the world are facing extreme vaccine shortages, WHO recommends that countries that have achieved high vaccine coverage in the high-risk populations prioritize global sharing of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility before proceeding to vaccination of children and adolescents who are at low risk for severe disease.