Health Canada approves COVID-19 booster dose for kids 5 to 11

Health Canada has approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for children aged five to 11. 

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that getting vaccines up-to-date ahead of the fall is a “top priority.”

“This booster dose provides a great option to restore protection for this age group, especially for those who are at high risk for illness,” she said. 

The 10-microgram booster dose can be given at least six months after getting the first two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, Tam said.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that kids aged five to 11 with an underlying medical condition that places them at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 – including those who are immunocompromised and may have received three first doses – should receive a booster dose. 

For all other kids aged five to 11, NACI recommends that a booster dose “may be offered” after completing the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“As the SARS-CoV-2 virus circulates worldwide, we must prepare for new activity and potential new variants of the virus in the months ahead,” Tam said.