Health Canada says a decision on whether to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine for children will come B次元官网网址渋n the next one to two weeks,B次元官网网址� leaving open the possibility that some kids could be at least partially protected by Christmas.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma said in a conference call with reporters Friday that the regulator is B次元官网网址渁ctively continuingB次元官网网址� its review of the Pfizer-BioNtech jab for children aged five to 11, which was authorized for use in the United States last week.
Dr. Theresa Tam, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 chief medical officer, said the under-12 age group continues to have the highest incidence rates of COVID-19 across all age groups in the country.
COVID-19 has typically shown to be mild in children since the pandemic began, but some have had serious illness.
Tam noted an 11 per cent increase in new COVID-19 cases in Canada this week compared to last week, with 2,500 new cases reported daily.
More than 1,800 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized, she said, with 528 in intensive care units and an average of 22 deaths reported daily.
Tam also said the countryB次元官网网址檚 requirement for a negative COVID-19 test for travellers re-entering Canada was still under review.
Federal Conservative leader Erin OB次元官网网址橳oole called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to remove the B次元官网网址減re-departure PCR testing requirementsB次元官网网址� for fully vaccinated travellers returning over the land border, asking the government in a statement Friday to accept rapid antigen test results instead.
Tam said in the news conference that the requirement is for a B次元官网网址渕olecular test,B次元官网网址� which can include a lab-based PCR or other tests that can offer results more quickly. Health CanadaB次元官网网址檚 website says rapid antigen tests are not accepted.
More than 28 million people, or 85 per cent of the eligible population over age 12, are now fully vaccinated, Tam said, though B次元官网网址渟izable gaps in vaccine coverageB次元官网网址� remain.
She said that includes more than five million eligible people who have not yet received a vaccine, and more than 4.3 million children under the age of 12.
Also Friday, Health Canada approved the use of ModernaB次元官网网址檚 mRNA vaccine for booster shots for adults 18 and older, to be used at least six months after the second shot. The Moderna booster is a half-dose of the regular vaccine.
B次元官网网址擝y Melissa Couto Zuber, The Canadian Press
