The latest:
Pfizer has submitted to Health Canada its preliminary data on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages five to 11, the department confirmed Saturday.
The company has been testing a lower dose of the shots in children.
On Sept. 20, the pharmaceutical giant said the first results of its pivotal study indicate the vaccine was “safe, well-tolerated and showed robust neutralizing antibody responses” in that age group. Pfizer said it would be submitting its data to regulatory agencies around the world as soon as possible.
A pivotal trial is usually a Phase III study, which presents the data that Health Canada uses to decide whether or not to approve a drug.
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Pfizer says its latest clinical trial data for its COVID-19 vaccine shows promising results in children under 12, raising the hopes of many parents with unvaccinated children. 2:01
In an email to CBC News, Health Canada said Pfizer submitted its preliminary trial data on Friday afternoon, earlier than expected, and is expected file a formal submission on pediatric shots in mid-October.
There are currently no vaccines authorized for children under 12 years old in Canada. Those 12 and older can get either a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
What’s happening across Canada
What’s happening around the world
As of Saturday, more than 234.3 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus-tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 4.7 million.
In Europe, more than 5,000 people protested Saturday in Romania’s capital of Bucharest to reject upcoming measures used by authorities to combat an alarming surge infections.
In Asia, U.K. nationals visiting India this month will have to undergo mandatory quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated in retaliation for U.K. curbs on Indian citizens, a senior government source in New Delhi told Reuters.
In the Americas, the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 700,000, with 100,000 people dying in the past three months when vaccines were available to any American over age 12.
In Africa, Nigeria got approval on for $400 million US in World Bank financing to procure and deploy COVID-19 vaccinations, the Bank said.
