COVID-19 vaccines for children have finally been approved by Health Canada, and are expected to arrive in the country today, on Sunday, Nov. 21
Any child between the ages of five and 11 is now eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The federal government announced that they are working on getting the vaccines delivered as soon as possible.
Canada’s Public Services and Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi stated in a conference on Friday, Nov. 19 that all 2.9 million doses are expected to arrive in Canada by the end of this week, which is enough for all eligible children throughout the country.
Health Canada stated that for this vaccine they authorized a two-doses of 10 micrograms to be administered three weeks apart. This is a lower dosage than what is approved for people 12 years and older which is two-doses of 30 micrograms.
This pediatric vaccine is also allowed to remain at a normal refrigeration temperature for a longer period of time.
“After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the Department has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years of age outweigh the risks,” wrote Health Canada in a recent press release that announced the approval of the vaccine.
The clinical trials for the vaccine showed that it was 90.7 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19 for children aged five to 11, according to Health Canada.
The federal government stated that the provinces will be responsible for the rollout of the vaccine for its population.
The B.C. government issued a joint statement from Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health which confirms that B.C. will have enough vaccines for every child aged five to 11 in the province, and they will be ready to “start welcoming children to clinics throughout the province soon after we receive our supply of pediatric vaccines from the Government of Canada.”
There are already more than 75,000 children that have been registered for their vaccine who will be contacted to book an appointment to get their vaccine.
As of Friday, Nov. 19, 78 per cent of the total Canadian population are fully vaccinated, while that rate is 85 per cent for the population 12 and older. Canadian health officials are hoping the approval of the pediatric vaccine will increase the vaccinate rate across the country.
Parents and guardians can start to register their children for the vaccine online at www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca – or by calling 1 833 838-2323 toll-free.
For more information on the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine, visit https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/planning/children.html
