U.S. to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5. What about Canada?

Getting infants and toddlers vaccinated against COVID-19 in the summer would be ideal ahead of a potential fall wave, Canadian pediatricians say.

The U.S. just approved the first COVID-19 vaccines for kids, and a decision on vaccines for Canada’s youngest population could land in the coming weeks, according to the country’s top doctors.

It’s a decision Canadian pediatricians are keeping a close eye on, as experts say the move could help mitigate a fall wave of the virus that more than 80 per cent of people in the country are vaccinated against.

“This is really the final frontier in the battle against COVID that we can offer protection to all ages of the population,” said Dr. Fatima Kakkar, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal.

Health Canada is currently reviewing Moderna’s pediatric vaccine for kids aged six months to five years, but has yet to receive a submission from Pfizer for the under-five age group.

“As with all COVID-19 submissions, Health Canada is expediting this review,” the agency told Global News on Thursday.

A decision for Moderna could come “over the new few weeks,” said Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, during a news conference on Friday.

A spokesperson for Pfizer Canada said the drugmaker is in ongoing discussions with Health Canada about its vaccine in the under-five age category.

“We are progressing well in our preparation for submission,” Christina Antoniou said in an emailed statement Thursday. She did not comment on when that might happen.