Parents anxiously awaiting updates as Health Canada assesses COVID-19 vaccine for young kids
Nearly three weeks after Moderna became the first pharmaceutical company to apply for Health Canada approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for young children, the regulatory agency is tight-lipped about progress.
Moderna submitted an application for a pediatric dose for children aged six months to five years old on April 29, a day after it did the same in the United States.
“As with all COVID-19 vaccines, the department is prioritizing the review of this submission, while maintaining its high scientific standards for safety, efficacy and quality,” wrote a Health Canada spokesperson in response to a request from CTV News. “Health Canada will only authorize the use of Spikevax in children of this age if its independent and thorough scientific review of the data in the submission shows that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks in this age group.”
American pediatricians are urging a swift and transparent process with updates, and many Canadian parents are doing the same.
"I'm really hopeful and keen for it to be released as soon as possible," said Vancouver mother Sarah Welton, whose one-year-old isn’t yet eligible for vaccination.
Her family is among those who continue to observe strict COVID-19 protocols out of concern for young children.
“We don't know what it looks like long-term and thinking for my child – their whole life is ahead of them and I would not want to put them in a position of having something like long COVID for their entire lifetime," said Welton. “It's definitely challenging as a parent watching everyone else go out and have fun and get back to everyday life and our family is still kind of stuck in COVID protocols of wearing mask, not going out for dining, not getting to do all the regular life things."
As the Weltons and others anxiously wait for word of approval, children six to 11 are the least-vaccinated age cohort in the province.
As of early April, just 56 per cent of children in that age group had been vaccinated, and the proportion had only grown to 57 per cent by May 17. Just 43 per cent have had two doses.
On average across all age groups, 85 per cent of British Columbians have had at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
The provincial health officer believes that if approved by Health Canada, young children could have access to their shots before the fall, when infections are expected to surge again.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.