Mild local and systemic reactions to Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine are common among adolescents, while serious adverse events are rare, according to CDC data published July 30.
As of July 16, about 8.9 million kids ages 12 to 17 had received Pfizer's vaccine in the U.S. The CDC received 9,246 reports of adverse events after vaccination among this age group, just 9.3 percent of which involved serious adverse events such as myocarditis (4.3 percent).
Among about 129,000 U.S. adolescents participating in a smartphone-based vaccine safety surveillance system, 63.4 percent reported local reactions after getting the shot, and 48.9 percent reported systemic reactions. Systemic reactions were more common after the second dose.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices conducted a risk-benefit assessment and continues to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all persons over 12 years old, the CDC said.
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