Canada on Wednesday authorized a single booster injection of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and its partner BioNTech for 16- and 17-year-olds.
The Health Canada regulator had approved an additional dose of the vaccine for people aged 18 and over in November last year. Reinforcement should be given six months after the two-dose primary series.
The decision was based on data from two studies on the booster vaccine among people aged 16 and over. The agency said the potential risks of inflammatory heart disease, myocarditis or pericarditis, have been included on the vaccine label.
The cases have been reported following the administration of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, especially among young men. Health Canada had authorized a primary series of Pfizer vaccines for those over the age of 16 in December 2020.
In January, the National Immunization Advisory Committee (NACI) of Canada said in an updated guide that adolescents aged 12 to 17, who are vulnerable to COVID-19, should receive booster vaccinations.
This includes those who have underlying medical conditions that put them at risk for serious COVID-19 disease, those who live in collective settings such as shelters, group homes, or prisons, and those who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 due to race or marginalization.
A nurse fills syringes for patients who received COVID-19 booster shots in Michigan last year. In the United States, a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for use in children up to five years of age. (Emily Elconin / Reuters)
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is preferred to Moderna for children and adolescents, NACI said, because “there is currently no data” on the use of booster doses of Moderna in this age group.
In the United States, a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized for use in children up to five years of age.
Myocarditis is rare and treatable: experts
Last year, some researchers said they believe there is a link between COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and a small number of people who develop myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at Sainte-Justine University Hospital in Montreal, said myocarditis “is not uncommon” and in most cases disappears after infection.
In the rare cases where inflammation affects the heart’s ability to pump blood, treatments may include anti-inflammatory drugs or steroids.
There is an overwhelming consensus among experts that the effectiveness of the vaccine outweighs the risk, as taking COVID-19 can pose a serious threat to heart health.