Canada approves COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5
Now it can be introduced to babies from 6 months of age.
Canada has gone beyond returning randomized testing for Covid-19 at airports: the other day, the Ministry of Health announced that the Moderna vaccine can be administered to children aged 6 months to 5 years. The announcement specifies the estimated dose: four times less than that for adults.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement that extensive testing has been done and the vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in preventing COVID-19 in young children. Tests were reportedly conducted last winter when the predominant strain was Omicron, and the results showed that the immune response in children aged 6 months to 5 years was comparable to the effect of the vaccine in adults 18 to 25 years old. Adverse side effects, usually occurring at a rate of less than 6 per 100,000, would not have been detected.
The agency notes that Moderna is obligated to continue to provide updates on the safety and effectiveness of the drug.
The Moderna product was the first vaccine option approved for children under 5 years of age in Canada. The United States approved Moderna and Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccines last month and had immunized 267,000 children in this age group as of July 8.
Pfizer's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for young children aged six months to five years was submitted to Health Canada last month and is still under review.
The innovation expands eligibility for COVID-19 protection to about 2 million children in Canada. Provinces will decide where and when to vaccinate preschoolers: In British Columbia, for example, the vaccine will be available in clinics as early as August 2.
