OTTAWA –
Canada’s chief public well being officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, introduced that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use as a booster for children aged 5-11.
Tam mentioned Health Canada has approved 10 microgram booster doses for children, and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has launched steerage on its use.
This is the primary booster approved for children aged 5-11, with Moderna being approved for simply two doses of its vaccine for that age group.
NACI says children with underlying medical circumstances or who’re immunocompromised, and subsequently susceptible to extra extreme outcomes from the virus, must be supplied the Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose not less than six months following their second shot.
“This booster dose gives an amazing possibility to revive safety for this age group, particularly for those that are at excessive danger of extreme sickness,” Tam mentioned.
All different children in the 5-11 age group may additionally be supplied the booster dose as of six months following their second shot, Tam mentioned, including that the danger of extreme outcomes for them is “usually uncommon.”
“I prefer to remind mother and father that extreme medical circumstances in this age group must be uncommon,” she mentioned. “So I believe giving individuals the selection and offering mother and father and children with details about the effectiveness of a vaccine and the significance of the booster can assist them make this selection.”
The vaccination fee for children aged 5-11 is the bottom of every other cohort — with about 42 per cent having accomplished their major collection of two doses — in comparison with greater than 99 per cent for the over-80 age group, and not less than 83 per cent for each different group older than 12.
The announcement comes as Tam and Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo gave an replace on each COVID-19 and monkeypox circumstances in Canada.
Tam mentioned whereas many areas look like previous the newest peak in COVID-19 circumstances, with weekly case counts on the decline, there are some exceptions.
She mentioned getting vaccinations updated is a “high precedence” to organize for potential future waves in the autumn, as college students return to high school, individuals return to work following summer season holidays, and Canadians usually begin making their manner again indoors.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/pfizer-booster-approved-for-children-aged-5-11-by-health-canada-1.6034098
