First COVID-19 vaccine for youngest children in Canada could be approved this month
The first COVID-19 shot for children under five could end up being approved this month in Canada. It’s a decision some B.C. families have been waiting for, but with lower uptake for shots for other kids in the province, some health professionals are hoping the roll-out for this last and youngest age group will be different.
COVID-19 vaccines for children under five have already been approved in the U.S., and now Health Canada expects to make a decision on Moderna’s shot for those aged six months to five years in mid-July.
Vancouver-based family physician Dr. Anna Wolak said she’s hearing from families who fall into two distinct camps.
“One camp is the ‘Finally, thank goodness, we’ve been waiting for so long,’” she said. “There are the parents that are in the other camp of ‘Well, they’re so little, and do we really need this’… I have to balance their anxiety and balance as well knowing that this is what we need to protect our little ones, because this is the one thing that they can have.”
The most recent group of children in B.C. to have COVID-19 vaccinations approved were five- to 11-year-olds last fall, but the uptake has been lower than other age groups: as of late June, 58 per cent had one dose, and 45 per cent had two.
UBC Okanagan School of Nursing professor Marie Tarrant said she’s hoping the rollout for the younger age group gets better results.
“I think with the older children there’s a couple of factors that probably made the coverage less than it could have been,” she said. “I think it could have been rolled out through the schools.”
Tarrant said messaging that the virus is milder in children may also have had an impact on the numbers.
“It still can be a very serious illness in children,” she said. “It has a lot of implications for other family members, for school attendance, for daycare attendance, and anytime you have children out of school or daycare, that means parents have to come out of the workforce to take care of them.”
Tarrant added the province could also incorporate places where families with young children already go, such as public health units and doctors offices, to make vaccination as accessible as possible.
“The other thing we have to think of is that a lot of kids have already had Omicron…and so parents may be under the misperception that they’ve had it and that gave them immunity and they don’t need to get vaccinated,” she said. “Whereas we know that infection with Omicron and one version of Omicron does not protect them against another variant and the new variants that are coming along.”
Dr. Wolak is also hoping to see the shots available in doctor’s offices, as well as a return of kid-focused community clinics.
“A lot can be said about those conversations you have with the anxious child, the anxious parent in your office and being able to say, I’m just going to go run to the fridge and go grab it and we can do it right there and then,” she said. “Hopefully by beginning of August, it will be out at all the provinces, and we can start getting these kids protected in time for preschool and September start.”
Wolak added it’s important for people to seek out a reputable source to inform themselves about the vaccine for young children.
“The general message I give to people is don’t go to TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Talk to a trusted medical advisor,” she said. “ I think we’re coming to the acceptance that herd immunity is not going to be something that we’re going to achieve now. But what we need to look at is, we want to keep people as protected as possible from serious illness and from any repercussions from that.”
In an email, the Ministry of Health said if Moderna succeeds in getting Health Canada approval, the government “would be prepared to offer the Moderna vaccine to children between six months and five years old in B.C.”.
“The province continues to make efforts to see a higher level of vaccination in children aged 5-11,” the ministry said. “We continue to be focused on providing vaccines to every eligible person in the province.”
Moderna has applied for its under-six vaccine to be given in two doses about four weeks apart. Each would be a quarter of an adult dose.
Pfizer also made a submission in June which has yet to be reviewed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.