Details on Nova Scotia’s plan to vaccinate children expected next week

‘We have been anticipating this announcement for weeks,’ said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson

 CityNews Halifax with files from Canadian Press

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The province plans to share more information soon on its plan to administer COVID-19 vaccines to some of its youngest residents.

Earlier today, Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot for children aged five to 11.

It said a thorough and independent scientific review found the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

“The clinical trial showed that the immune response in children 5 to 11 years of age was comparable to the immune response in people 16 to 25 years of age,” Health Canada said.

“The vaccine was 90.7 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19 in children 5 to 11 years of age and no serious side effects were identified.”

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has suggested that two doses may be offered, with at least eight weeks between doses.

For now NACI suggests they wait at least 14 days before or after receiving another vaccine, such as the flu shot, to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

“This is great news,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson in a news release. “Soon, we will be able to protect more Nova Scotians against the virus.”

Pfizer-BioNTech has changed the formulation of the pediatric vaccine slightly, so new vaccines must be delivered to Canada before children can receive a shot.

Canada is expecting an accelerated delivery of 2.9 million child-sized doses, enough for a first dose for every child in the five to 11 age group.

Thompson said public health officials are now reviewing NACI’s recommendations and working to adapt Nova Scotia’s vaccine rollout for the age group.

“We have been anticipating this announcement for weeks and have been working with our health system partners and our vaccine booking system on a plan,” she said. “We are now waiting on information from our federal partners regarding vaccine delivery to finalize our planning.”

“We look forward to sharing more information with families next week.”