Australia is the first country in the WORLD to approve a new Covid vaccine for children – and the rollout starts tomorrow
- Moderna has been approved as the second vaccine for kids aged from six to 11
- Parents can now choose between Pfizer and Moderna for their kids’ vaccination
- Children should receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine, spaced four weeks
- Approval came after consideration of clinical trial data from the US and Canada
A second Covid vaccine has been given the green light for Australian children.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Thursday gave the go-ahead for six to 11-year-olds to receive the Moderna vaccine.
On Wednesay the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation gave formal approval and Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the rollout would begin on Thursday.
Moderna was previously only been available to people 12 and over.
Moderna has become the second Covid vaccine approved for children aged six to 11 in Australia following Pfizer
It now joins Pfizer as a Covid vaccine recommended for children.
The medical regulator said children should receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine, spaced four weeks apart.
The approval decision was made after careful consideration of clinical trial data from the US and Canada, which included 4,000 children.
‘Clinical trials also showed that the safety profile is similar to that seen in adults,’ the TGA said.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the vaccine on Thursday after careful consideration of clinical trial data from the US and Canada, which included 4000 children
So far, more than one million children aged five to 11 have received their first Covid vaccine dose, or more than 48 per cent of the cohort.
It comes as a leading infectious diseases expert warned state governments may need to reintroduce Covid restrictions in the upcoming winter.
As jurisdictions such as Victoria look to ease measures such as QR code check-ins and density limits, Professor Peter Collignon from the Australian National University said colder months could bring with it a return to restrictions.
‘We will have to reconsider what happens in winters, we are likely to get another wave in winter,’ he told the Nine Network on Thursday.
So far, more than one million children aged five to 11 have received their first Covid vaccine dose, or more than 48 per cent of the cohort
‘It’s appropriate (to ease restrictions now) as we have high levels of vaccination and there will be less spread for the next few months, but we will have to reconsider what happens in winter.’
Despite the potential for relaxed restrictions, Prof Collignon said it was not a cause for people to become complacent about Covid.
‘The virus is going to be here for years to come. The only good news is, with vaccination, we as individuals are much less at risk than we were before,’ he said.
‘The virus will circulate for years to come but it will be at different stages, we will probably get worse waves in winter.’
Advertisement
