Ottawa: Canada has become the first country to approve the use of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccine for adolescents as young as 12.
The shot was initially approved in December for those 16 and older. The decision by the country’s public-health officials comes ahead of a similar clearance that is expected soon from regulators in the U.S. It allows Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to expand its vaccination campaign to adolescents.
Canada’s inoculation effort has lagged its peers in the Group of Seven. The nation has administered at least one dose to 29.7% of its population, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, compared to 44.5% in the U.S. and 51.9% in the U.K.
“After completing a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the department has determined that this vaccine is safe and effective at preventing Covid-19 when used in children between 12 and 15 years of age,” Health Canada said in a statement Wednesday. — Bloomberg
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