Nova Scotian children aged six months to four years old can soon receive COVID-19 vaccine

A pharmacist reaches for a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination for children under five at Walgreens pharmacy Monday, June 20, 2022, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)

Nova Scotian children aged six months to four years old will soon be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after Canada's drug regulator approved Moderna's COVID-19 shot for infants and preschoolers.

A news release from the province says children will be able to receive Moderna's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently the only one approved in Canada for that age group.

Appointments for children aged six months to four years old will be open for booking in early August online or by calling 1-833-797-7772.

"We know that many parents of young children have been anticipating this day for quite some time, and we are pleased to see that there's such a great interest to get some of the youngest Nova Scotians vaccinated," said Dr. Shelley Deeks, Nova Scotia's deputy chief medical officer of health, in a news release Thursday.

"While most children in this age group have relatively mild disease, some do experience severe illness, especially those with underlying medical conditions."

Health Canada says the Moderna vaccine can be given to young children between the ages of six months and five years old in doses one-quarter the size of that approved for adults.

The approval expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to nearly two million children in Canada, 34,000 of whom are Nova Scotian children.

Health officials in Nova Scotia say children will need two doses at least eight weeks apart.

Moderately to severely immunocompromised children will need three doses of vaccine, with at least four weeks between the first and second dose and eight weeks between the second and third dose.

Children will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their last dose.

The province adds children who have been infected with COVID-19 should wait eight weeks between infection and starting, or completing, their vaccine series.

If children are receiving other routine pediatric vaccines, public health says those vaccines can only be administered at least 14 days before or after the COVID-19 vaccine.

"This is a newly licensed vaccine, what we're recommending is that for this age group, the vaccine not be given at the same time as other vaccines," said Deeks.

Deeks says the recommendation to avoid two vaccines at once is a precautionary measure to help health officials understand any adverse effects the COVID-19 vaccine can have on children in this age group.

"One of the challenges when you give two vaccines at the same time, if someone does suffer an adverse event, we wouldn't know which vaccine to attribute it to," she said.