It is now official, Health Canada is authorizing the use of the children’s version of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The federal government has already delivered 2.9 million doses for children aged 5 to 11, enough for a first dose for all Canadian children that age. All that was missing was the green light from scientists at the Federal Ministry of Health.
“This is an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19 in Canada,” noted the press release issued by Health Canada on Friday morning.
The ministry had been studying the manufacturer’s request since October 18. This week, he received a similar request from Moderna to have his version of the vaccine licensed for children.
This is an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19 in Canada.
For Pfizer’s vaccine, Health Canada authorizes two doses of 10 micrograms, three weeks apart. The vaccine for 12 years and older is given in doses of 30 micrograms.
Health Canada cites clinical trials of Pfizer’s vaccine to point out that it is 90.7% effective and that “no serious side effects have been identified.”
Even though this vaccine is now authorized, the manufacturer must continue to provide information to Canadian authorities on its efficacy and safety as its use increases.
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“This will give the ministry more data from ongoing studies and actual use of the vaccine to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine always outweigh the risks, as well as to detect any possibility of a new problem.” safety in all age groups, ”the Health Canada release explains.
The United States approved this vaccine for children last month. And since then, they have vaccinated more than two million children.