Pfizer-BioNTech are going to test the vaccine on infants
Trials for the vaccine are already underway for children as young as 5 years old.
By September, Pfizer and BioNTech plan to begin testing their jointly developed vaccine on children 6 months and older. In July, the companies expect to get the results of vaccine trials for children from 5 to 12 years old.
"If all goes well, once we evaluate the data, we will be able to apply for approval of the vaccine for children of the appropriate age group in different countries," said Ugur Sahin, executive director of BioNTech.
This month, Pfizer and BioNTech have already asked US regulators to approve the emergency use of their vaccine for adolescents 12-15 years old. The companies are also preparing to apply for European regulatory approval of the vaccine for children 12 and older, Sahin said.
A study published in late March showed that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe, effective and produces a sustained immune response in adolescents.
Young people are less likely to have severe forms of COVID-19 and are more likely to carry the disease asymptomatically, but the danger is that they can transmit the virus to others without knowing it.
Although Pfizer and BioNTech are actively testing the vaccine, it's likely that Canadian children won't be able to get vaccinated for a long time. When that might happen, a spokeswoman for Health Canada said.
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