kids encyclopedia robot

Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (2020) E
A doctor holding the Pfizer vaccine
Ultracold storage (cropped)
Temperature the Pfizer vaccine must be kept at to ensure effectiveness, roughly between (−80 and −60 °C)

The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID‑19 vaccine (pINN: tozinameran), sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German company BioNTech in cooperation with Pfizer. It is both the first COVID-19 vaccine to be authorized by a stringent regulatory authority for emergency use and the first cleared for regular use.

It is given by intramuscular injection.

It is an RNA vaccine composed of nucleoside-modified mRNA (modRNA) encoding a mutated form of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, which is encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles.

The vaccination requires two doses given three weeks apart. Its ability to prevent severe infection in children, pregnant women, or immunocompromised people is unknown, as is the duration of the immune effect it offers.

As of February 2021, it is one of two RNA vaccines being deployed against COVID‑19, the other being the Moderna COVID‑19 vaccine. A third mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, CVnCoV, is in late-stage testing.

In December 2020, the United Kingdom was the first country to authorize the vaccine on an emergency basis, soon followed by the United States, the European Union and several other countries globally.

On February 17, 2021, the two companies announced efforts to further expand manufacturing capabilities. Globally, Pfizer and BioNTech currently aim to manufacture about two billion doses in 2021.

Pfizer has advanced purchase agreements of about US$3 billion for providing a licensed vaccine in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Peru, Singapore, and Mexico.

Images for kids

  • A Pfizer employee putting dry ice in a box to protect the COVID-19 vaccines during transport

    A Pfizer employee putting dry ice in a box to protect the COVID-19 vaccines during transport at the Puurs factory

  • Boxes containing the COVID-19 vaccines

    Boxes containing the COVID‑19 vaccines at the Pfizer factory in Puurs

  • Inside view of the Pfizer factory

    Inside view of Pfizer factory in Puurs

  • BNT162b2 vaccine efficacy data

    Cumulative incidence curves for symptomatic COVID‑19 infections after the first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine (tozinameran) or placebo in a double-blind clinical trial. (red: placebo; blue: tozinameran)

  • Comirnaty

    Comirnaty

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vacuna de Pfizer-BioNTech contra la COVID-19 para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.