Well being Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for youths beneath 5
Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for youths beneath 5 has been accepted by Well being Canada, making it the second vaccine possibility for kids on this age group.
“After a radical and unbiased scientific overview of the proof, Well being Canada has decided that the advantages of this vaccine outweigh the potential dangers on this age group,” reads a information launch despatched Friday.
Well being Canada has accepted a three-dose main sequence of three micrograms every of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for kids aged six months to four-years-old.
That differs from Moderna’s vaccine for this age group, a two-dose sequence and the next quantity of vaccine per dose which was accepted in July.
WATCH | Well being Canada approves Moderna vaccine for youths:
Well being Canada adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma says the company will proceed to obtain knowledge from Moderna concerning its security and effectiveness following its approval to be used in youthful kids.
Federal well being officers say Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine ought to be given at an interval of three weeks between the primary and second doses, with eight weeks between the second and third dose.
There are about 1.7 million Canadians on this age group. Based on federal knowledge, 47,363 youngsters beneath 5 have obtained no less than one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Aug. 14.
Well being Canada says the jabs, which goal the unique pressure of COVID-19, stay efficient at stopping extreme sickness, hospitalization and dying.
The federal government lately accepted a more recent model of Moderna’s vaccine that targets the Omicron variant of COVID-19, however its use has not but been accepted for the youngest cohort.
