Health Canada on Friday authorized the use of the bivalent Comirnaty vaccine adapted to the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron, from Pfizer-BioNTech, as a booster dose in children aged 5 to 11 years.
Pfizer’s vaccine is the first “bivalent” type to be licensed as a booster dose for children.
In a press release, Health Canada explained that after a comprehensive independent scientific review of the evidence, this vaccine as a booster dose in children aged 5 to 11 years is “safe and effective”, and that “the benefits outweigh the any possible risk.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommends that children with weakened immune systems or with underlying medical conditions be offered a dose of the new vaccine at least six months after receiving their first two injections.
However, for other children in this age group, NACI recommends that the booster dose “may be offered”, without going any further.
For now, a single booster dose of the vaccine is recommended for all children in this age group.
To see in video