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
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.
Thousands of civilians evacuated from northeast Ukraine as Russia presses renewed border assault
Thousands more civilians have fled Russia's renewed ground offensive in Ukraine's northeast that has targeted towns and villages with a barrage of artillery and mortar fire, officials said Sunday.
Feds 'committed to doing more,' but minister offers no timeline for Canadian Disability Benefit boost
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.