Canada is set to receive 2.9 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine intended for children.
While Pfizer has formally asked Health Canada for approval of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, Health Canada has yet to approve the request.
“I know parents are all going to be eager to get their kids vaccinated as quickly and as soon as possible, I want people to be patient,” Trudeau said on Thursday morning.
“It is extremely important that [Health Canada] go through all the full processes necessary so that every parent can have confidence when these vaccines do get approved that they will be safe for their children.”
While Trudeau didn’t say when the 2.9 million vaccines would come, he insisted that Canada would be ready if and when Health Canada approves the vaccine.
In September, Pfizer and BioNTech announced successful trials with their COVID-19 vaccine in five-to 11-year olds.
Last week, the American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation appealed to Health Canada to approve their vaccine for elementary school-aged children.
Pfizer and BioNTech said their COVID-19 vaccine trials have induced a robust immune response in elementary-school aged children.
Children received a smaller dose – about more than a third – than those aged 12 and older.
In a written statement, Pfizer and BioNTech said that the smaller dose was carefully selected as the preferred dose for safety, tolerability and immunogenicity.
