Manitoba prepares to roll out COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5
CBC
The Manitoba government says it's finalizing its recommendations on how it will roll out COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged six months to five years.
The Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for use in little kids and babies in doses one-quarter the size approved for those over the age of 12, Health Canada announced Thursday.
This is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved in Canada for kids under five.
Provincial recommendations will set out who should get access to the vaccine first since it's expected supplies will be limited in the next few weeks, a spokesperson for the Manitoba government said in an email.
Recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization will help inform those decisions, the spokesperson said.
The province added work is already underway to train immunizers and plan for the vaccine distribution. But the spokesperson didn't say when doses are expected to arrive in Manitoba or when the first shots will be administered.
There will be an announcement when the vaccine arrives in the province, with more information available online and the COVID Vaccine Shot Finder updated accordingly, said the emailed response.
For Winnipeg mom Cara Mason, that day can't come soon enough.
Up until now, Mason's daughter Noni hasn't been eligible for a COVID-19 shot since she doesn't turn five until September.
Mason's partner is immunocompromised due to a genetic blood condition. It's something her daughter may have too.
Mason has been hoping Noni could be immunized before starting kindergarten in the fall to help protect her and her dad.
"We've been very, very isolated," said Mason. "We are still doing masks. She only sees a handful of people, so we've kind of been hoping that kindergarten will be the start of a new normal for her where she'll actually be able to comfortably be around other children."
Mason said she and her partner had inquired about getting Noni vaccinated early. They also considered driving to the U.S., where the vaccine had already been approved.
Now, she's just hoping the province will move quickly to get doses into arms so Noni can get two shots before school starts.
