Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5

In late April, Moderna asked Health Canada to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old, a day after requesting U.S. regulators do the same.

Health Canada has approved Moderna‘s COVID-19 vaccine for infants and preschoolers, making the vaccine the first of its kind approved for that age group in the country.

Health Canada is expected to give an update on Thursday on the approval of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, including advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Globalnews.ca will live-stream the announcement, which is set for 12 p.m. EDT.

In late April, Moderna asked Health Canada to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old, a day after requesting U.S. regulators do the same.

Now approved, it’s the first COVID-19 vaccine for children under five in Canada — an age group that has remained ineligible for inoculation since the vaccine rollout began in late 2020.

Moderna’s vaccine for children in that age group was approved in the United States last month.

The company said a trial of 6,700 children showed the vaccine was safe and produced a similar antibody response seen in adults. A single dose for children under six is 25 micrograms – about one quarter of the size given to adults and teens, and half the size used for kids ages six to 11.

Moderna said its vaccine was 51 per cent effective at preventing symptoms in children six months to two years old, and 37 per cent effective against symptoms in children two to five years old. Its application calls for the vaccine to be given in two doses, and four weeks apart.