Egypt Authorizes Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine for 12 to 15 Year-olds

Egypt Authorizes Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine for 12 to 15 Year-olds

A vial labelled with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is seen in this illustration picture taken March 19, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Egypt authorized on Sunday Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15, the cabinet said in a statement.

The step effectively lowers the minimum age of eligibility to receive the two-shot vaccine in Egypt, which was 15 years old previously.

On Friday, Egypt suspended direct flights to and from South Africa due to concerns about a new variant of the COVID-19 virus, the state news agency (MENA) reported.

First discovered in South Africa, the variant has now been detected in EU countries Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, along with Australia, Botswana, Britain, Hong Kong and Israel.