It will be known in “a week or two” whether Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 will be approved by Health Canada. These could therefore be partially protected against COVID-19 in time for the Christmas gatherings.
“It’s a priority and we have a team dedicated to it,” Canada’s Chief Medical Advisor Supriya Sharma said at a press conference on Friday. “This review is ongoing and we expect to have a final decision in a week or two. ”
The vaccine was already approved for children aged 5 to 11 for the Food and Drug Administration in the United States two weeks ago.
Health Canada is also reviewing the documentation provided by Novavax trying to get approval for its vaccine for children. “They had some challenges to increase the number of doses manufactured, so we expect to continue to interact with the company during this review,” she explained.
The Quebec government has already been preparing since last week to give a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 by Christmas even though the vaccine has not yet been approved in Canada. The number of cases has jumped recently among young people aged 0 to 19.
Booster dose
Federal Public Health is considering recommending inoculation of a third dose in parts of the country where immunity is believed to be waning.
“It’s really something to analyze,” Public Health Agency of Canada Deputy Chief Executive Officer Howard Njoo replied to The Press, during an update on the impact of COVID-19 across the country.
“We know that the territories were the first to administer the vaccines and also, on the other hand, they used the interval for the more doses according to the recommendations of the manufacturers,” he added.
This shorter interval could vary between three and four weeks depending on the vaccine, but clinical studies subsequently showed that an interval of eight weeks between the first two doses conferred better immunity.
The Yukon, Northwest Territories and northern Manitoba have both high vaccine coverage and a high incidence of COVID-19 cases, according to Federal Public Health. The same is true in northeast Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. Their guidelines for the booster dose vary.
“It’s always important to follow the evidence and also the recommendations of our National Advisory Committee on Immunization, but at the end of the day it’s really a decision of the provinces and territories,” said Dr.r Njoo.
In the Northwest Territories and Manitoba, anyone 18 years of age and over can get a third dose of the vaccine, at least six months after receiving the second. Instead, the Yukon opted earlier this month to offer it only to people aged 50 and over.
In Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, booster inoculation is limited to people 65 years of age and over with a few exceptions.
Moderna in third dose
In addition, Health Canada authorized the use of Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine on Friday, three days after giving the green light to that of Pfizer-BioNTech. The ministry believes that the serum meets its requirements “in terms of safety, efficacy and quality”.
Moderna submitted its request on October 6. The third dose of the vaccine aims to prolong immunity over a longer period. The manufacturer’s booster dose is half of a regular dose.
“This authorization is based on strong clinical evidence showing that a booster dose of 50 μg induces a strong immune response against COVID-19,” said Senior Medical Director for Moderna Canada, Shehzad Iqbal. We believe mRNA vaccines are uniquely positioned to adapt to the changing epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 ”.
Earlier this week, the Quebec government recommended inoculation of a third dose for people 70 years of age and older. A drop in immunity to COVID-19 is seen in those 80 and over who experience a small increase in their hospitalization rate. This phenomenon has not been observed in the 70 to 79 age group, but the Quebec government prefers to play it safe.