B.C. is encouraging parents to vaccinate their young children against COVID-19 after Health Canada approved the Moderna shot for those aged six months to four years old.
In a news release, the province said there are approximately 208,000 eligible infants and children in B.C. Regional health authorities will start offering this vaccine at clinics throughout the province on Aug. 2.
The Moderna shot for children is a smaller dose of the same one already in use for children. It is a two-dose series and that province recommends getting shots eight weeks apart.
“B.C. has the capacity and experience to deliver this COVID-19 vaccination campaign for this new age group,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.
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“Since the start of the vaccination campaign in B.C., almost 12 million doses have been administered to eligible people. I encourage parents to register their kids under the age of five, so they are invited to book an appointment.”
The vaccine will be available in all communities through health authority child-friendly clinics.
Parents or guardians can register their children in the B.C. Get Vaccinated system now. Once registration is complete, parents or guardians will be invited to book a vaccination at a clinic in their community when the immunization program starts in August.
For children who have already had COVID-19, NACI recommends waiting eight weeks after the start of COVID-19 symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test, before beginning or continuing the primary series. This interval may be shortened to four weeks for children who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
