Adina Bresge, Canadian Press Posted Friday, June 17, 2022, 12:00 PM EDT Last Updated on Friday, June 17, 2022, 5:16 PM EDT
Regulators must decide whether to approve Canada’s first vaccine against COVID-19 for infants and preschoolers in the coming weeks, federal officials said Friday as the United States prepares to release small vaccines.
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr Howard Nju said Health Canada continued to review Moderna’s application for a vaccine to protect children between six months and five years old.
“We are expecting a decision in the coming weeks, I would say, or something like that. “I can’t give you an exact date,” Nju said at a virtual press conference. “Obviously, they have to take due care.”
On Friday, US regulators approved Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for young children, starting the doses that will be distributed next week.
Canada has not yet approved a vaccine for its nearly two million children under the age of five.
The Moderna vaccine is the only vaccine for this group that has been presented for regulatory review, Njoo said. Moderna has applied for her vaccine to be given in two doses, one quarter of the adult dose, at intervals of about four weeks.
A Pfizer Canada spokesman said in an email that the company was making progress on the vaccine, but could not provide a timeline for when it would be released.
Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine can be used in children aged five years, and Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine is approved for children aged six years and older.
Compared to adults, children face a lower risk of severe COVID-19 results, but this risk is not zero, said Dr. Catherine Smart, president of the Canadian Medical Association.
In recent months, many children treated in hospital for COVID-19 do not qualify for vaccination, Smart said. As the prospect of a potential seventh wave emerges, she said Canada needs to extend the benefits of vaccination to the youngest members of its population.
“We know that children under the age of five did not have protection from COVID. Of course, there are many parents who are very concerned, “said Smart.
“We do not know what we are facing in the autumn. So I think being able to protect these youngest children will be crucial. “
Canada’s chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, told reporters on Friday that indicators show that the spread of COVID-19 is stabilizing nationally and the incidence of serious diseases is declining in most jurisdictions.
While employees are “cautious optimists,” Tam said, there are signs of increased viral activity in some areas. And Omicron’s new sub-variants – including BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 – appear to be more contagious and better at avoiding immunity than their predecessors.
“We don’t expect our progress to be linear,” Tam said. “Therefore, keeping ready for a potential resurgence, which can lead to severe impacts, is our best asset as we head for summer.
Also Friday, the federal government shut down the COVID Alert app. The app launched in the summer of 2020 as a way to warn people if they have been in close contact with someone who has been infected with COVID-19 without collecting personal data.
The application was criticized as ineffective and did not meet expectations. While 6.89 million people withdrew it as of Feb. 1, the latest federal figures say it recorded only 63,117 positive test results for COVID-19.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 17, 2022.
– With files from the Associated Press and Laura Osman in Ottawa
Add Comment