By Kim Mackrael
OTTAWA--Canada on Friday authorized emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE on children aged five to 11, marking the first time a vaccine against the disease would be available in Canada for that age group.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was initially authorized in Canada for use in people who were 16 years of age and older, and was authorized for use in children ages 12 to 15 in May. Health Canada said it received an application from Pfizer-BioNTech to expand the use of the vaccine to include children ages 5 to 11 last month.
"After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, [Canada's health department] has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age outweigh the risks," Health Canada said in a statement.
The health department said it authorized a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms to be administered three weeks apart. People 12 years of age and older have been getting a two-dose regimen of 30 micrograms.
Health Canada said a clinical trial showed the immune response in younger children was comparable to that seen in people ages 16 to 25, and no serious side effects were found.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech 's vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 late last month. The FDA dosage instructions are the same as those announced by Canada on Friday.
Israel this week also authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on younger children, and children as young as three are receiving Covid-19 vaccines in countries such as Colombia, Argentina and China.
The Liberal government previously said it had secured a deal with Pfizer, pending regulatory approval, for accelerated deliveries of roughly three million pediatric doses. That would be enough to give every child in the age range a first shot.
Among major industrialized countries, Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates, with roughly 76% of the population fully vaccinated, compared with 58% for the U.S., according to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data.
Write to Kim Mackrael at kim.mackrael@wsj.com
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November 19, 2021 at 10:03PM
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