Health Canada works to authorize COVID-19 shots for kids under 5 as U.S. nears move
Posted June 16, 2022 5:35 pm.
Last Updated June 16, 2022 5:36 pm.
The Medical Director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre is applauding U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisers who gave a thumbs-up to vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for the littlest kids. However, he notes, Canada still needs to follow it’s own processes before it makes a similar move.
In the U.S., children between the ages of six months and five years have been given the green light in favour of authorizing both Moderna and Pfizer.
Dr. Brian Conway with the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre says “it’s great news,” but Health Canada needs to follow their own processes. However, he adds given the new info stateside – it’ll likely lead to a decision soon.
“I think given the new information that’s available, it is likely that Health Canada will come to a positive decision in the very near future,” he said.
The goal of the initial evaluation by Health Canada will be to evaluate whether the product is safe and effective, he added.
Conway emphasizes that vaccines for ages — six months to five years — are essential for this age group for two reasons.
“Many as 10 per cent of them, they get lung COVID symptoms and if you start getting lung COVID symptoms at age two, this is going to follow you for decades. So we want to avoid that,” he explained. “And even if you don’t get very sick you will be in contact with older people whose immune systems may not be as good as yours.”
FILE – A boy receives a dose of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine at a community vaccination center in Hong Kong on Feb. 25, 2022. U.S. government advisers met Wednesday, June 15, 2022 to decide whether to endorse COVID-19 shots for babies, toddlers and preschoolers, moving the nation closer to vaccinations for all ages. According to the World Health Organization, 12 countries are vaccinating kids under 5. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
In the U.S., the outside experts voted unanimously that the benefits of the shots outweigh any risks for children under 5 — that’s roughly 18 million youngsters. They are the last age group in the U.S. without access to COVID-19 vaccines and many parents have been anxious to protect their little children.
If all the regulatory steps are cleared, shots should be available by next week.
FDA reviewers said both brands appear to be safe and effective for children as young as 6 months old in analyses posted ahead of the all-day meeting. Side effects, including fever and fatigue, were generally minor in both, and less common than seen in adults.
The two vaccines use the same technology but there are differences. In a call with reporters earlier this week, vaccine experts noted that the shots haven’t been tested against each other, so there’s no way to tell parents if one is superior.
If the FDA agrees with its advisers and authorizes the shots, there’s one more step. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will decide on a formal recommendation after its own advisers vote on Saturday. If the CDC signs off, shots could be available as soon as Monday or Tuesday at doctor’s offices, hospitals and pharmacies.
Pfizer’s vaccine is for children 6 months through 4 years; Moderna’s vaccine is for 6 months through 5 years.
