Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for infants and preschoolers
- Michael Kras
- 21 Jul 2022
The day has finally come: Health Canada has officially approved the Moderna Spikevax vaccine against COVID-19 for infants and young children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years old.
This marks the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in this age group in Canada, making an additional 1.7 million young Canadians eligible to be vaccinated.
(1/3) Health Canada has authorized the use of Moderna’s Spikevax #CovidVaccine in children 6 months to 5 years of age. Until now, this vaccine was authorized for use in people 6 years of age or older.https://t.co/Z2az9wes9S
— Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) July 14, 2022
“After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the benefits of this vaccine for children between 6 months and 5 years of age outweigh the potential risks,” reads a release from Health Canada.
“Health Canada has authorized a two-dose primary series of 25 micrograms each, with the second dose to be administered 4 weeks after the first dose. This is half the dose authorized for children 6 to 11 years of age and one quarter of the dose authorized for people over 12 years of age.”
It’s an especially valuable time for a vaccine to be approved for younger age demographics in Canada, as the country faces another large pandemic wave driven by the BA.5 variant of COVID-19.
Contrary to what some may believe, youth are not exempt from the potential for severe illness and long-term complications from COVID-19 infection. Vaccination is another key way of protecting an even greater portion of our population as COVID-19 continues to be a considerable public health concern.
Read the full release here.
Comments 0
There are no comments
Add comment