Canada to Authorize Use of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine on Children -- Source
19 November 2021 - 08:40AM
Dow Jones News
By Paul Vieira
OTTAWA--Canada is expected on Friday to authorize emergency use
of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE on
children aged five to 11, according to a person familiar with the
matter.
The government has scheduled a media briefing for Friday morning
to discuss an update on Covid-19 vaccines. Pfizer-BioNTech filed a
submission last month seeking authorization to administer its
vaccine on children aged five to 11.
A spokeswoman for Pfizer declined comment. The Toronto Star and
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. earlier reported that authorization for
Pfizer-BioNTech's pediatric doses was imminent.
Late last month, the Food and Drug Administration authorized
emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children five to
11 years of age. According to the FDA, children will be given two
shots three weeks apart, the same schedule as adults and
adolescents, although each shot will contain one-third of the
dosage.
Israel this week also authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech
Covid-19 vaccine on children. Children as young as three are being
vaccinated in countries such as Colombia, Argentina and China.
After Pfizer filed its application to Canadian authorities, the
Liberal government said it had secured a deal with the company,
pending regulatory approval, to ensure accelerated deliveries of
roughly three million pediatric doses, or enough to give every
child in the age range a first shot.
Among major industrialized countries, Canada has one of the
highest vaccination rates, with roughly 75% of the population fully
vaccinated, compared with 57% for the U.S., according to the
University of Oxford's Our World in Data. Among Canadians eligible
for vaccination, which is 12 years of age or older, the share fully
vaccinated stands at 85%, according to the Public Health Agency of
Canada.
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 18, 2021 16:25 ET (21:25 GMT)
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