National

Bivalent COVID booster OK'd for kids

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Dec, 2022 11:16 AM

OTTAWA - Health Canada has approved a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for use in children ages five to 11, which targets the original strain of the coronavirus and more recent variants.

The Pfizer vaccine is the first "bivalent" shot to be approved for use in children.

Health Canada says in a press release that after the thorough review, it has found the vaccine is safe and effective and that its benefits outweigh any potential risks when used as a booster dose.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization strongly recommends children with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions be offered a dose of the new vaccine at least six months after they receive their first two COVID-19 shots.

The recommendation for other children in the age group is more discretionary, and NACI suggests the bivalent booster "may be" offered.

For now, only one COVID-19 booster shot is recommended for all kids in that age group.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

SFU Surrey getting a new medical school to train doctors

Ten days after being sworn in as Premier of British Columbia, David Eby was at SFU’s Surrey campus to announce $4.9 million in start-up funding for the medical school on Monday and to share some of the first details about the school, which is aiming to accept it first students by September 2026.

SFU Surrey getting a new medical school to train doctors

Man allegedly assaulted several strangers before brandishing a weapon: VPD

Witnesses told police the man slapped a woman, assaulted a cyclist, then tried to attack someone who was walking amongst a group of people outside Nester’s Market. He also allegedly tried to start a fight near the Metropole Pub and brandished a weapon before being confronted by police.

Man allegedly assaulted several strangers before brandishing a weapon: VPD

Trudeau: Chinese protesters deserve free speech

Crowds in China angered by the anti-virus controls have called on leader Xi Jinping to resign in the biggest show of public dissent in decades. The regime has eased some of its strict controls after demonstrations in at least eight mainland cities as well as Hong Kong.

Trudeau: Chinese protesters deserve free speech

Amanda Todd's harasser returned to the Netherlands

Canada's Justice Department says Aydin Coban was taken back to his home country on Nov. 24, where he will continue serving a nearly 11-year sentence imposed by a Dutch court in 2017 for similar crimes involving more than 30 youth.

Amanda Todd's harasser returned to the Netherlands

BoC posts first quarterly loss in its history

The Bank of Canada's aggressive interest rate hikes this year have raised the cost of interest charges it pays on settlement balances deposited in the accounts of big banks. That's while the income the central bank receives from government bonds it holds remains fixed.

BoC posts first quarterly loss in its history

Use of plastic straws, grocery bags already down

The Canadian government is looking to curb domestic plastic pollution by the end of the decade as negotiations toward a formal plastics management treaty begin this week in Uruguay. Canada is one of nearly three dozen countries lobbying heavily for an international agreement that would end global plastic pollution by 2040.