Health Canada may approve a COVID-19 vaccine for young children this month

Federal officials say a COVID-19 vaccine for younger children could be approved as early as this month.

Health Canada wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that it expects to make a decision by mid-July on whether to approve Moderna’s vaccine for children six months to five years old.

Moderna requested that its vaccine be given in two doses, each representing a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart.

The agency says it received a submission from Pfizer-BioNTech on June 23 for its vaccine for children aged six months to four years.

A Health Canada spokesperson said regulators are still setting a timeline for their review of Pfizer-BioNTech’s application.

Canada has yet to authorize a vaccine for its nearly two million children under the age of five.

Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine can be used on children as young as five years old, and Moderna’s Spikevax vaccine has been approved for children six and older.

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