Pfizer vaccine approved for U.S. youth aged 5-11. When can Canadians expect the same?
Posted November 3, 2021 9:48 am.
Last Updated November 3, 2021 12:22 pm.
The U.S. enters a new phase Wednesday in its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with shots now available to millions of elementary-age children in what health officials hailed as a significant breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education.
Kid-sized doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine cleared two final hurdles Tuesday – a recommendation from CDC advisers followed by a green light from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With the federal government promising enough vaccines to protect the nation’s 28 million kids ages 5-11, pediatricians’ offices, pharmacies, hospitals, schools and health clinics were poised to begin the shots after getting the green light late Tuesday.
Is Canada up next?
Health Canada is expected to approve the kid-sized shot sometime this month after the nation signed a deal with Pfizer to secure 2.9 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11.
During an interview with Breakfast Television, Toronto pediatrician Dr. Dan Flanders said this would be a game-changer.
“If we could create some protection within that age group and get as many under 12 [kids] as vaccinated as possible, that would be a huge step in getting over this nightmare that is COVID,” he said.
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Pfizer requested the Canadian regulator’s approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for children in that age group in mid-October. This came after the company submitted its clinical trial data to Health Canada at the beginning of that month.
“If we look at the population in Ontario, those over 12, about 80 per cent are vaccinated,” Dr. Flanders added. “The group that is under 12, zero per cent are vaccinated. The 12-and-under group is fertile ground for COVID-19 to spread.”
On Wednesday, Health Canada took to Twitter to issue a correction, saying that it will take weeks – not months – to review the submission from Pfizer-BioNTech to allow the use of its vaccine for children aged five to 11.
“Health Canada will review to ensure the vaccines are safe and effective for this age group. The review of data for children under 12 will consider benefits vs risks, but also take into account any differences in risks from COVID-19,” they wrote on Twitter.
“Although children and youth are less likely to get really sick from COVID-19, they can still: be infected and not have any symptoms; spread COVID-19 to others; get MISC – a rare but severe inflammatory illness, and experience longer-term effects if they do get infected.”
(1/5) Yesterday we posted a tweet in error indicating it would take months to review a submission from Pfizer BioNTech to allow the use of its Comirnaty #CovidVaccine for children aged 5-11. That was incorrect. The review will take weeks, not months.
— Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) November 3, 2021
The vaccine – one-third the dose given to older children and adults and administered with kid-sized needles – requires two doses three weeks apart, plus two more weeks for complete protection to kick in.
School closures throughout the pandemic have disproportionately burdened children of colour, widening academic gaps and worsening mental health, according to data presented Tuesday to CDC advisers. That data showed more than 2,000 COVID-related school closures in just the first two months of the current school year. Advocates say getting school-aged kids vaccinated will reduce those disruptions.
Just last week, Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table issued four recommendations for a successful vaccine rollout campaign on what they say is evidence-based data from previous childhood vaccination programs and findings from behavioural science studies.
The science table says school-based vaccinations are the best approach, linked with a strong endorsement from trusted healthcare providers.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has also been tested on children as young as six months old. Topline data for children under five years old is expected as soon as the end of the year. The treatment was developed in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech and is now marketed under the brand name Comirnaty. It was authorized for at least 16 years old last December and kids between 12 and 15 in May.
With files from CityNews Vancouver reporter Hana Mae Nassar and The Associated Press
