Pfizer asks Health Canada to approve COVID vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11

A COVID-19 vaccine may soon be available for kids in Canada.

Pfizer has asked Health Canada to approve its COVID vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11. Currently, only those 12 and over are eligible to get immunized against the coronavirus.

The company said on its website it made the submission after a trial involving 2,268 participants, each of whom received two doses.

According to a report by The Canadian Press, the doses are about one-third the size given to those 12 and up.

Pfizer’s vaccine was given the green light for those between the ages of 12 and 15 in May, five months after it was approved for everyone aged 16 and up.

Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer, said during a media conference Monday that the Saskatchewan Health Authority is making plans to start immunizing children in November. The plans are contingent on the vaccine being approved for use.

The Ministry of Health announced Monday there were 279 new cases of COVID in Saskatchewan, including 64 cases involving children 11 and under.

That group typically records the highest number of daily cases, as children under 12 can’t be vaccinated.

— With files from The Canadian Press