Europe's medicines regulator on Friday backed the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, paving the way for a broader roll-out in the region after similar clearances in the United States and Canada.

The European Medicines Agency's endorsement comes weeks after it began evaluating extending the use of the vaccine, developed with Germany's BioNTech, to include 12- to 15-year olds. It is already being used in the European Union for those aged 16 and older.