Near 4 months after Canada’s drug regulator greenlit the nation’s first pediatric coronavirus vaccine, manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech, it has now accredited the Moderna Spikevax vaccine for youngsters between the ages of 6 and 11.
Well being Canada, the federal regulatory company, beforehand accredited Moderna in August 2021 for teens between the ages of 12 and 17, and the dosage for the newest pediatric vaccine is the same as half that given to that age group, the company mentioned in a information launch on Thursday.
In america, solely the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is accredited for ages 5 to 17.
The Moderna vaccine for youngsters consists of two doses, acquired 4 weeks aside.
The extra vaccine choice for younger kids comes as a number of provinces, together with Ontario, transfer to drop masks mandates in indoor settings, together with colleges, prompting some faculty boards to make requests with the province for an extension to the masks mandate.
Epidemiologists anticipate hospital occupancy will enhance when the general public well being measures are lifted, based on illness modeling launched on Thursday by a Covid-19 advisory panel to the province of Ontario.
Canada accredited using the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for youngsters aged 5 to 11 in November, on the time including greater than 2.8 million younger folks to these eligible for a shot.
Greater than 1 million Canadian kids aged 5 to 11 are absolutely vaccinated, and 1.6 million have acquired a minimum of one dose, based on the latest federal public well being information, revealed on March 11.
Eighty-three p.c of Canadians are absolutely vaccinated, based on a New York Instances database.