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The COVID-19 vaccine developed by pharmaceutical firm Pfizer can now be given to people ages 12 to 15 years old.

This was made possible after the US Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization of the vaccine to include younger people in the community.

The vaccine has been previously authorized for individuals 16 years old and above.

Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines, meanwhile, are allowed to be used on people age 18 and above.

FDA reportedly authorized the extended use clearance after studying the data forwarded by Pfizer, showing the vaccine's 100 percent efficacy on the test trials conducted on 12 to 15-year-old subjects.

“The response to the vaccine was excellent and in fact, it was even better, really, in the younger age group than it was in the 16-25 age group,” Dr. Peter Marks, Director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said.

“The safety profile was very similar in 12-15-year-olds as in 16-25-year-olds.”

Marks also told reporters that FDA's verdict was a “relatively straightforward decision.”

US President Joe Biden likewise praised the decision, calling it a promising development in the fight against the deadly virus.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is growing, and today it got a little brighter,” commented Biden.

Some sectors though feared that this could slow down the allocation of vaccines to high-risk members of society like the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

In related news, the European Medicines Agency stated that it might also approve the use of Pfizer vaccine to people ages 12 to 15 years old to help economies get back on track as soon as possible.

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