The United States on Monday authorised the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old, while the devastating outbreak in India raged on.The US Food and Drug Administration previously had granted an emergency use authorisation for the jab to individuals aged 16 and older. "This is a promising development in our fight against the virus," said President Joe Biden. But the World Health Organization in Geneva warned the B.1.617 variant spreading in India appears to be more contagious, classifying it as a "variant of concern at the global level. "The virus threat still exists," Justice Minister Juan Carlos Campo wrote in El Pais, urging Spaniards to behave "responsibly. But US biotech firm Novavax said Monday it had delayed plans to seek authorisation for its Covid vaccine candidate, a setback for developing countries hoping the injection would soon be available through the Covax program.

Source: Economic Times May 11, 2021 05:39 UTC