Health Canada approved the use of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years old on Friday morning.
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This is the first COVID-19 vaccine licensed in Canada for this age group.
“This is an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19 in Canada,” Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.
Remember that Health Canada received a request from Pfizer-BioNTech to extend the indications for the Comirnaty vaccine on October 18. The vaccine was first licensed for use in people 16 years of age and older on December 9, 2020, and then for use in people 12 to 15 years old on May 5, 2021.
“After a full independent scientific review, the Ministry has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age outweigh the risks. Health Canada has authorized the administration of a series of two doses of 10 micrograms three weeks apart. These are lower doses than the two doses of 30 micrograms approved for use in children 12 years of age and over, ”it was pointed out.
Health Canada also indicated that during the clinical trial, the immune response of children aged 5 to 11 was comparable to that of people aged 16 to 25: “The vaccine was 90.7% effective in preventing COVID- 19 in children aged 5 to 11, and no serious side effects have been identified ”.