Canada Authorizes Use Of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine For Children 5-11 Years Old

The Canadian authorities have authorized the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against the novel coronavirus for children 5-11 years of age, Health Canada said in a statement on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th November, 2021) The Canadian authorities have authorized the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against the novel coronavirus for children 5-11 years of age, Health Canada said in a statement on Friday.

In October, the Canadian authorities received a submission from Pfizer-BioNTech seeking approval of its vaccine for children.

"Today, Health Canada authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11 years of age. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized in Canada for use in this age group and marks a major milestone in Canada's fight against COVID-19," the statement said.

The vaccine was initially authorized for children 16 years of age and older in 2020 and subsequently for children 12-15 years of age in 2021, the statement said.

"After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the Department has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age outweigh the risks. Health Canada has authorized a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms to be administered three weeks apart, which is a lower dose than the 30 micrograms two-dose regimen authorized for people 12 years of age and older," the statement added.

The clinical trials revealed that the immune response in children 5-11 years old was comparable to the response in people 16-25 years old. The vaccine was 90.7% effective, according to the statement.