(Ottawa) Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech booster vaccine for those 18 years of age and older.
The green light from Health Canada was announced in a brief press release on Tuesday. “The booster vaccine is authorized for adults 18 years of age and older, and must be used at least six months after the person has completed the first set of vaccines,” the ministry said.
Pfizer’s application for approval was received on 1er last October, and after “a full and independent review of the evidence”, Health Canada determined that the booster ovarian vaccine “meets stringent requirements for safety, efficacy and quality.”
The new federal Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, welcomed this development which “will help to strengthen the deployment of vaccines in Canada in the future”, he argued on Twitter on Tuesday.
It is up to the provinces and territories to decide when doses are administered.
At the end of September, the Quebec government approved the administration of an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for residents of living environments for the elderly, such as CHSLDs and private seniors’ residences.
Just under a week ago, Ontario announced that eligibility for a booster dose would be gradually expanded “based on age and risk to provide additional protection against the Delta variant.” .
But the provinces are also preparing for another vaccination campaign: that for children aged 5 to 11 years. Health Canada is currently reviewing the application for authorization of Pfizer-BioNTech’s pediatric vaccine. The request was filed on October 18.
In the United States, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved last week for this age group by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), and the vaccination campaign was immediately set in motion. .