Vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 could soon be available, according to public health officials. Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said the federal government hopes to see new data in the coming months.
"If everything goes well, I would say certainly later towards the end of this year — that’s maybe being optimistic — but certainly we anticipate that something would be coming forward, certainly for maybe next year," he said.
Once complete, the data will be reviewed by Health Canada officials. Final approval of jabs for kids could be made by the end of the year at the earliest if all regulatory hurdles are met, reported CBC.
Both Pfizer and Moderna are running trials to evaluate the COVID-19 vaccine in children. "If safety and immunogenicity are confirmed, we plan on filing the data to Health Canada before the end of the year to support a potential authorization in children 5 to 11 years of age, and soon after for 6 months to 5 years," said Christina Antoniou, a spokesperson for Pfizer.
A third dose is also being evaluate for individuals with immunocompromised systems. "The additional or third dose being considered for moderately to severely immunocompromised persons should be distinguished from that of a booster dose," noted the statement.
"There's a very broad group of individuals who may have either an underlying health condition or a treatment that's rendered them more immunocompromised," said Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam. She warned that not everyone would get extra protection after taking a third shot.
While third doses of an mRNA vaccine are recommended for some, according to Tam, she recommends that people unable to take that vaccine should speak with their family physician about taking a viral vector vaccine such as AstraZeneca.
Ontario and Alberta are offering additional shots for certain vulnerable populations including some transplant recipients, cancer patients, immunocompromised individuals and residents of various care homes.
In Saskatchewan and Quebec, people who wish to travel abroad where mixed-vaccination status is not formally recognized are being offering extra rounds of mRNA shots.
"The intent of a booster dose is to restore protection that may have waned over time in individuals who responded adequately to an initial one- or two-dose primary vaccine series," said Njoo.
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