COVID-19 vaccine appointments for young children can be booked in early August

Earlier Thursday, Health Canada approved Moderna’s pediatric vaccine for pre-schoolers and many infants

CITYnews halifax \ Meghan Groff

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Pre-schoolers and many infants will soon be able to get appointments for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The province announced today bookings for children aged six months to four years old will open in early August. Officials have not yet announced a specific date.

There are approximately 34,000 Nova Scotians in that age group, and the province said its initial supply is expected to be limited, but more appointments will be added to the system as additional shipments arrive.

Earlier Thursday, Health Canada approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for young kids, the first to get the green light for that age group.

It is still reviewing Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine for kids between six-months and five-years old, which was submitted to them last month.

The agency said Phase 3 trial results for Moderna show the immune response in children six months to five years old was comparable to its vaccine for 18 to 25-year-olds.

“While most children in this age group have relatively mild disease, some do experience severe illness, especially those with underlying medical conditions,” said Dr. Shelley Deeks, Nova Scotia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health in a news release.

Most children will need two doses of the vaccine, which is a quarter of the size of what has been approved for adults. Doses will need to be administered at least eight weeks apart.

“Moderately to severely immunocompromised children will need three doses of vaccine, with at least four weeks between the first and second dose and eight weeks between the second and third dose,” the province said in a news release.

Any child with a recent COVID-19 infection should wait at least eight weeks before getting a vaccine.

And parents/guardians should wait at least two weeks before or after the COVID shot before scheduling any other routine pediatric vaccines, so Deeks said if there are any pending, it’s a good idea to get those taken care of now.