On December 3, 2021, NACI published updated guidance on booster COVID-19 vaccine doses in Canada and reaffirmed previous NACI guidance on the recommended use of COVID-19 vaccines in children 5 to 11 years of age. Since this guidance:
- Additional evidence on the transmissibility and disease severity of the Omicron variant has emerged;
- Additional safety surveillance data on the 2-dose primary series of Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty (10 mcg) in children 5 to 11 years of age has been released, providing preliminary estimates on the risk of myocarditis/pericarditis in children 5 to 11 years of age;
- Many children aged 5 to 11 years who are moderately to severely immunocompromised will have completed their 2-dose series and will be seeking guidance on whether additional doses are required.
The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized in Canada for use in pediatric populations under 12 years of age. PfizerBioNTech [10 microgram (mcg) dose] was approved for children 5 to 11 years of age on November 19, 2021 as a two-dose primary series. The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine previously has been authorized by Health Canada for individuals 12 years of age and older, using a 30 mcg dose (December 9, 2020, individuals 16 years of age and older; May 18 2021, individuals 12 to 15 years of age).
The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine in Canada is approved for use as a 3-dose primary series in individuals who are immunocompromised. As per the product monograph (for both 10 mcg and 30 mcg doses), persons who are immunocompromised, including individuals receiving immunosuppressant therapy, may have a diminished immune response to the vaccine and in these individuals, a third dose may be considered as part of the primary series.
NACI has reviewed the evolving situation and evidence and has updated evidence-informed recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pediatric populations.
- Recommendation
- Americas
- Canada
- children
- COVID-19
