Canada Authorizes Use of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine on Children
20 November 2021 - 4:19AM
Dow Jones News
By Kim Mackrael
OTTAWA--Canada on Friday authorized emergency use of the
Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE on children aged
five to 11, marking the first time a vaccine against the disease
would be available in Canada for that age group.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was initially authorized in Canada
for use in people who were 16 years of age and older, and was
authorized for use in children ages 12 to 15 in May. Health Canada
said it received an application from Pfizer-BioNTech to expand the
use of the vaccine to include children ages 5 to 11 last month.
"After a thorough and independent scientific review of the
evidence, [Canada's health department] has determined that the
benefits of this vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age
outweigh the risks," Health Canada said in a statement.
The health department said it authorized a two-dose regimen of
10 micrograms to be administered three weeks apart, although
Canada's expert panel on vaccines separately recommended an
interval of eight weeks or longer between doses. People 12 years of
age and older have been getting a two-dose regimen of 30
micrograms.
Health Canada said a clinical trial showed the immune response
in younger children was comparable to that seen in people ages 16
to 25, and no serious side effects were found.
Pfizer Canada said in a statement on Friday that shipments of
pediatric vaccine doses for Canada would begin imminently.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use
of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 late last
month. The FDA's authorization was for two shots, spaced three
weeks apart, with each containing a 10 microgram dosage. dosage
instructions are the same as those announced by Canada on
Friday.
Israel this week also authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech
Covid-19 vaccine on younger children, and children as young as
three are receiving Covid-19 vaccines in countries such as
Colombia, Argentina and China.
The Liberal government previously said it had secured a deal
with Pfizer, pending regulatory approval, for accelerated
deliveries of roughly three million pediatric doses. That would be
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 76% of the population fully
vaccinated, compared with 58% for the U.S., according to the
University of Oxford's Our World in Data.
Write to Kim Mackrael at kim.mackrael@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 19, 2021 12:04 ET (17:04 GMT)
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