Canada authorizes Pfizer COVID vaccine for ages 5-11
Ottawa (AFP) – Canada on Friday became the latest country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged between five and 11-years-old.
“After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the department has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between five and 11 years of age outweigh the risks,” said an official statement from Health Canada.
The decision follows an application by the companies submitted on October 18 after carrying out a clinical trial among thousands of children in this age group.
The vaccine was found to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing Covid-19, and no serious side-effects were identified.
It is dosed at 10 micrograms rather than the 30 micrograms used in older ages, and administered as two shots, three weeks apart.
A handful of countries including Israel and the United States have so far green lighted Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for children.
China, the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia and Colombia have also started vaccinating children under 12 but with Chinese vaccines.
