'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization is recommending an eight-week interval between doses for the newly approved Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between five and 11 years of age, rather than the three weeks approved by Health Canada. It will ultimately be up to provinces to decide which interval is best.
On Friday, Health Canada authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children, making it the first in the country to receive regulatory approval for that age group. A total of 2.9 million doses are expected arrive by the end of next week.
Although Health Canada, and Pfizer, say the vaccine can be offered three-weeks apart, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended an eight-week interval between doses.
NACI notes that while there is no direct evidence on an optimal interval for children, it cited evidence in adults that a longer gap may improve immune response.
"We see that NACI has made a different recommendation based on … their own analysis of the data," Fabien Paquette, vaccines lead for Pfizer Canada, told CTV News.
"So at the end of the day, either from a NACI standpoint or for any … provincial jurisdictions, it remains their decisions to apply the immunization programs the way they feel is most appropriate for their population."
Paquette said through discussions with federal authorities, particularly the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a three-week interval was agreed upon for Pfizer's clinical programs, as was the case for adolescents and adults.
Asked whether it would make any difference to the effectiveness of the vaccine, he said that data isn't available.
"What we have in our own data sets is really an interval of three weeks. A longer interval has not been studied with this age group," he said.
"Now, we can make some assumptions based on what we've seen in the … adult groups, and that's probably the way the analysis has been done by the public health authorities. But related to what we see right now, the data available are really with an interval of three weeks."
Paquette said it's too early to say whether pediatric vaccines for COVID-19 will be offered annually, but that more data will be gathered to ensure "the best decisions will be taken in that regard."
Paquette also called the Health Canada authorization a "day that many parents across the country have been eager to wait for" and a likely "game-changer" to further protect Canadians against COVID-19.
He said Pfizer submitted a "significant" amount of data to Health Canada, namely for the Phase 2 and 3 trials, with more than 4,600 children participating, resulting in 91 per cent effectiveness and few side effects.
He said there were no cases reported of myocarditis, a side effect noted with mRNA vaccines resulting in inflammation of the heart muscle, during the clinical trials. But he added that Pfizer is taking this seriously and will pay attention to any reporting that comes out as the vaccines are used in Canada and around the world.
Asked about parents on the fence about vaccinating their child, Paquette said it is "totally understandable."
"If you have children, five to 12 years of age, you want the best for them, and the best for them from what we see right now with the science available is clearly to present them with a vaccine that has been officially authorized by Health Canada. And I would say talk to your health-care providers," he said.
As far as vaccine mandates for children, Paquette said that is not for a pharmaceutical company to answer, but rather public health authorities.
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.