Pfizer and BioNTech have asked US regulators to make their COVID-19 vaccine available to adolescents ages 12 to 15

• Pfizer and BioNTech have asked for their COVID-19 vaccine to available for adolescents aged 12 to 15.
• The vaccine showed "100 percent efficacy" in trials with adolescents.
• Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have also started vaccine trials on children.

Pfizer and BioNTech have asked US regulators to make their COVID-19 vaccine available for adolescents aged 12 to 15.

The vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for individuals 16 years old and older. The companies asked that authorization be expanded to younger teens.

In a statement issued on Friday, the companies said they plan to make similar requests worldwide in the coming days.

The vaccine showed "100 percent efficacy" and triggered a "robust antibody response" in trials with adolescents, the companies announced last month.

Pfizer and BioNTech said side effects in 12- to 15-year-olds were similar to side effects seen in 16- to 25-year-olds. General side effects include fevers, headache, tiredness, and pain, readiness, or swelling around the vaccination site.

Both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have also started vaccine trials on children, and the trials are ongoing.

As of Friday morning, at least 112 million people in the US, or 33.7% of the population, had received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine - 90 million of whom received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

More than 66 million people have been fully vaccinated, CDC data shows, and 32 million of those people received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.