Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt has invited Pfizer to seek TGA approval for its COVID-19 vaccine to be given to under-12s following favourable results from an ongoing trial.

The mRNA vaccine is already approved for anyone aged 12 and up, but the manufacturer claims it has sufficient safety and efficacy data to lower the age threshold even further.

According to findings announced via press release overnight, Pfizer’s vaccine was both “well tolerated” and produced a “robust” neutralising antibody response in nearly 2300 children aged 5-11 included in the phase II-III trial.

Mr Hunt today wrote to Pfizer Australia saying that, should the TGA and ATAGI approve vaccination of the younger cohort, “vaccination would commence as a priority”.