U.S. kids could get Pfizer shots by Halloween, Canadian approval still uncertain
CBC
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have submitted data on the effectiveness of their COVID-19 vaccine in children to U.S. regulators, clearing the way for a possible authorization by Halloween, according to a member of the company's board of directors.
Canadian parents likely will be waiting longer to secure shots for their kids, however, because Pfizer-BioNTech hasn't yet made a similar filing with Health Canada. That could mean pediatric doses won't be available north of the border until the final weeks of the year at the earliest.
And it's not just the regulatory review that could hold up the shots. Canada may also have to buy the pediatric-specific variety Pfizer has in development — which means the vaccine supply chain is still an open question.
The race is on to vaccinate the country's kids at a time when many Canadian schools are dealing with a wave of the highly contagious delta variant. As the health crisis morphs into a pandemic largely for the unvaccinated, kids are uniquely vulnerable because they don't have any access to a vaccine.
A Health Canada spokesperson said Wednesday the department "anticipates vaccine manufacturers to provide data in children in the coming months."
Pfizer said that work is already underway.
"We are continuing our discussions with Health Canada and preparing to make our submission, but I cannot confirm timelines yet. We will provide updates as soon as we have more to share on this subject," Pfizer spokesperson Christina Antoniou said in a statement to CBC News.
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