Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 and under

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

According to Global News, Health Canada had been reviewing a submission from Moderna for the use of its Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to 5 years of age since April.

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The 6-month to 5-year-old age group had remained the last ineligible group to be vaccinated against COVID-19 since the mass rollout began in late 2020.

Moderna’s children’s vaccine was approved in the United States in June.

Moderna says its trial of 6,700 children showed the vaccine was safe and produced a similar antibody response to adults. The pharmaceutical company says its vaccine was 51% effective at preventing child COVID-19 symptoms in children six months to two and 37% effective against two to five-year-olds.

“Vaccines help lower your child’s risk of getting seriously sick from COVID-19,” says the Health Canada website.

“They work with the body’s natural defenses to develop protection against disease. The COVID-19 vaccine makes the immune system create antibodies and immune memory. This allows the body to remember the virus and react quickly to fight infection before kids can get really sick.”