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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States has approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 14-0 in favour of the vaccine early Tuesday afternoon and the CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, signed off on the deal later in the day.
The approval follows that of the Food and Drug Administration, which gave the vaccine the green light for the 5-to-11 age group last Friday. Previously, only Americans aged 12 and over were eligible to get vaccinated against COVID.
The news Tuesday means the vaccine can be administered immediately to kids in the age range.
In this country, Health Canada is continuing to examine Pfizer’s request for approval. The company submitted its request on Oct. 18.
Pfizer’s vaccine was approved for kids between the ages of 12 and 15 in May, five months after it was approved for everyone aged 16 and up.
The doses for kids between the ages of five and 11 are about one-third the size of the doses given to those 12 and up.
Pfizer made its submission to Health Canada after a trial involving 2,268 participants aged five to 11, each of whom received two doses.
The company’s studies showed the vaccine didn’t produce any safety concerns among the test subjects. The studies also showed expected vaccine side effects (such as soreness at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and chills) were well-tolerated and resolved in one to two days.
On Oct. 26, the Saskatchewan government revealed its plans for rolling out the vaccine for kids aged five to 11. Those plans are contingent on the vaccine being approved in Canada.
The Saskatchewan government announced 107 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, with 21 of those among children under the age of 11.