COVID-19: 5-14 Year-Olds Most Affected in Germany, EMA Calls Extraordinary Meeting on Vaccine Approval

The Robert Koch-Institute (RKI) in Germany reported that the 7-day incidence rate per 100,000 residents among 5-14 year-olds had tripled in just four weeks; this age group is now the most affected since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The weekly report showed that over 625 new cases were detected per 100,000 in 5-9 year-olds and 718 in 10-14 year-olds (7-day incidence rate) in week 45 (8 - 14 November 2021). In comparison, Luxembourg detected 313 and 281 new cases per 100,000 in the 0-9 and 10-19 age groups in the same week, respectively.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet approved COVID-19 vaccination for 5-11 year-old children.

Luxembourg's Minister of Health, Paulette Lenert, noted recently in response to a parliamentary question that the Ministry of Health is waiting for the EMA's approval of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine in children.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) at EMA is holding an extraordinary meeting tommorow, 25 November 2021, to discuss the evaluation on the use of COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty, developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, to include children aged 5 to 11.