Good news! The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is officially the 2nd authorized vaccine in Canada for those aged 12 to 17.
Heres your COVID-19 Update on this news that was released today: Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada said Friday that Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is now approved for use in adolescents.
“After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the vaccine is safe and effective at preventing #Covid19 in youth aged 12 to 17,” the agencies said in a social media post.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for Canadians in early May for those aged 12 to 15. That vaccine was approved for those 16 and older in December 2020, the same month Moderna’s shots got the go-ahead for Canadians over 18.
Moderna applied for authorization for administering it to youth in early June, citing a clinical trial of 3,700 youth in which none of the teens who got two doses developed a COVID-19 infection.
Health Canada took only a few weeks to approve Pfizer for youth, and has not explained why the Moderna review took more than two months.
Europe approved the Moderna vaccine for children more than a month ago. The United States has not yet authorized it for teenagers.
Over 63% of 12-to-17 group vaccinated
Health Canada estimates that as of Aug. 21, nearly 77 per cent of Canadians aged 12 to 17 had received at least one dose of that vaccine, with 63.6 per cent fully vaccinated. Some provinces have allowed for the inoculation of kids who are in their 12th year but yet to have their birthday; some 7,350 Canadians under 12 have been fully vaccinated.
The fully vaccinated rate in the 12-to-17 group was actually higher than the 18 to 29 rate (60.45 per cent) and only a few percentage points off the pace of those 30-to-39 (66.7 per cent), as provinces and regional public health units have tried to persuade young, healthy adults to take up the shots (CBC Canada).
Read additional information on this story HERE.
What are your thoughts on this COVID-19 update news? Do you think this will substantially increase vaccination rates in youth aged 12-17 now that two options are available to them? Join the conversation on facebook @Pulse1077!