Canada approves coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12 to 15

© Andrej Ivanov/AFP/Getty Images A UPS employee delivers coronavirus vaccine doses to the Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Montreal on Dec. 14, 2020. (Andrej Ivanov/AFP/Getty Images)

Canada on Wednesday morning authorized use of Pfizer-BionTech’s coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, marking the first time the country has greenlit a coronavirus vaccine for adolescents.

Pfizer has sought FDA approval for similar use in the United States.

Adolescents will follow the same two-dose regimen authorized for adults following a trial of more than 2,000 participants that began in April, Supriya Sharma, Health Canada’s chief medical adviser, said at a news conference following Wednesday’s announcement.