Manitoba’s health minister says details of the province’s plans to vaccinate kids under five against COVID-19 are expected in the coming days.
On Tuesday, five days after Health Canada approved Moderna’s pediatric vaccine for infants and preschoolers, Audrey Gordon said Manitoba’s chief public health officer will announce details later this week.
“This is an exciting announcement for so many families that have been waiting for Health Canada to approve the vaccine,” she said at an unrelated press conference.
“Dr. (Brent) Roussin will be coming out at a press conference and will be discussing the actual approval and will be talking about the rollout of the vaccine as well.”
Gordon didn’t say when Roussin’s press conference is planned and couldn’t say when the vaccine will be available for Manitoba kids under five.
On Thursday Canada’s drug regulator approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of six months and five years old in doses one-quarter the size of that approved for adults.
It’s the first vaccine approved for that age group in the country.
Last week a provincial spokesperson told Global News that Manitoba welcomed the approval and would use it as well as recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) to finalize provincial recommendations.
The spokesperson said the provincial recommendations would lay out who should get access to the vaccine first, adding there are limited supplies expected in the next few weeks.
The shots are expected to be given at locations and clinics that are already providing the vaccine to older Manitobans, the spokesperson said.
NACI also gave provinces its assent to offer the vaccine to children between the ages of six months and five years old Thursday, by recommending that children “may” be offered the vaccine.
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While serious illness among children is rare, NACI said last week the number of children hospitalized for COVID-19 shot up dramatically in Canada as the Omicron variant spread rampantly last winter.
Health Canada said it will continue to keep a close eye on the safety of the vaccine, and has required Moderna to provide updated data on both the safety and the effectiveness of the vaccine.
In its decision posted on the Health Canada website, the agency said Phase 3 trial results for the drug show the immune response in children six months to five years old was comparable to Moderna’s vaccine for 18- to 25-year-olds.
The approval expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to nearly two million children in Canada, though where and when the vaccine will be given to kids will be determined by provinces.
Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for young children between six months and five years old was submitted to Health Canada last month and is still under review.
— with files from Global’s Michelle Karlenzig and The Canadian Press
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
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