Home » Canada approves the first COVID-19 vaccine for children | Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine | Children’s vaccine

Canada approves the first COVID-19 vaccine for children | Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine | Children’s vaccine

by admin

[Epoch Times November 22, 2021](The Epoch Times reporter Zhou Xing reported in Toronto) Health Canada has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine for children. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be vaccinated this week.

In a press notice issued on November 19, Health Canada said: “After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the Ministry of Health determined that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh the risks for children aged 5 to 11.”

Health Canada has authorized a 10 micrograms per dose with a three-week interval between two injections, which is lower than the 30 micrograms, two-dose program authorized for people 12 years of age and older.” The announcement said.

The Ministry of Health said that clinical trials have shown that the immune response of children aged 5 to 11 to the vaccine is comparable to that of people aged 16 to 25. The vaccine has an effective rate of 90.7% in preventing COVID-19 in children aged 5 to 11 years, and no serious side effects have been found.

These vaccines for children are expected to arrive this week in 2.9 million doses. According to Federal Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi, these vaccines are sufficient to give all eligible children in Canada the first shot.

Although the interval between two vaccinations approved by the Ministry of Health is 21 days, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that the interval between two doses of vaccine be eight weeks or more.

According to CTV News, Federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said that children between 5 and 11 years old will receive the first shot this week, but it is currently impossible to confirm when the second shot will arrive. He expects that the arrival of the second dose of vaccine will be able to timely meet the schedule of the second shot in eight weeks recommended by the National Immunization Advisory Committee.

See also  Grenoble authorizes burkini (and topless) in public swimming pools

Supriya Sharma, the chief medical consultant of Health Canada, said that the main adverse reactions reported in vaccine formulations used in children are similar to those of adolescents after being vaccinated, but with a lower frequency. In addition to slightly higher redness and swelling at the injection site, other reported adverse reactions included fatigue and headache. Most of the reactions are mild to moderate and will go away on their own.

Since October 18, Health Canada has been prioritizing review of vaccine applications submitted by Pfizer for children aged 5 to 11. At the same time, the government is also conducting a similar review of Modena’s mRNA vaccine for children aged 6 to 11.

Editor in charge: Yue Yi

.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy