Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 approved by Health Canada
Global News
Children aged five to 11 will soon be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Health Canada announced.
Health Canada has approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, the department announced Friday.
The announcement means that elementary school children will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Previously, only kids aged 12 and up were eligible.
The vaccine will require two doses of 10 micrograms for kids aged five to 11 — one-third of the dose for adults. The dosing scheme approved by Health Canada is to give those two doses 21 days apart.
Pfizer had submitted its trial data to Health Canada on Oct. 1 for evaluation, and the full submission for approval Oct. 18.
Pfizer’s clinical trial data showed that the vaccine had 91 per cent efficacy against COVID-19 in this age group.
“After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the Department has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age outweigh the risks,” Health Canada wrote in a press release.
“Health Canada has placed terms and conditions requiring Pfizer-BioNTech to continue providing information to Health Canada on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in this younger age group. This will provide the Department with more data from ongoing studies and real-world use to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh any risks, as well as to detect any potential new safety signals in any age group.”
Provinces have been preparing for the announcement for weeks, with many drawing up plans for how they would distribute the vaccines. In Ontario, children will likely be vaccinated at school, although it’s unclear whether it would happen during school hours.
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