Pfizer’s vaccines for kids aged 5 to 11 has been approved in Canada

Key takeaways:

• The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has been licenced for children aged 5 to 11 years old in Canada.
• Pfizer-BioNTech submitted a request for approval of a child-sized dose of its mRNA vaccine on October 18.

The Pfizer coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use in Canadian children aged 5 to 11.

According to Pfizer, testing of the vaccine in youngsters revealed identical safety and efficacy outcomes as trials in adults aged 16 to 25.

Health Canada had stated that the vaccine would only be approved for children if its investigation showed that the benefits outweighed any potential hazards.

It’s the first time in Canada that the Covid-19 vaccination has been licenced for this age range.

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On Friday, at a news conference, Dr Supriya Sharma, a senior medical advisor with Health Canada, stated, “This is extremely wonderful news for adults and children alike.” “It provides another tool to protect Canadians, and it will help restore some normalcy to the lives of children, much to the relief of many parents.”

Since mid-September, the number of coronavirus cases reported in Canada has been decreasing. Vaccination rates, however, have plateaued in recent months after a sharp spike in the spring.

According to the most recent data from Health Canada, about 75% of all Canadians are completely immunised, including 84 per cent of those aged 12 and up.

On October 18, Pfizer-BioNTech filed a request for approval of a child-sized dose of its mRNA vaccine. The vaccine’s clinical trial results showed that it was highly efficient in preventing Covid-19 in that age group.

The paediatric doses for younger children will be one-third of what has been given to individuals aged 12 and up, with doses spaced 21 days apart.

Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada had reached an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 2.9 million paediatric doses of the vaccine soon after it was approved.

The US Food and Drug Administration also authorised booster shots of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for persons 18 and older who took the second shot of either Pfizer or Moderna at least 6 months ago on Friday. 

On Friday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will examine and vote on the decision.

Source: BBC News

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