Pfizer vax okayed for young children

CHILDREN as young as five will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccination from January following final approval from Australia’s immunisation advisory body.

The Federal Government has accepted the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation’s recommendation to expand the jab program to children aged between five and 11.

“This will bring great relief to so many mums and dads, who now have a choice on what’s best for their kids,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“They can have peace of mind knowing this has the tick from the best medical regulators in the world.”

The vaccines to be made available to about 2.27 million children contain one-third of the standard Pfizer dose.

Bookings will open in late December and jabs will be rolled out from 10 January following child-specific training for healthcare workers and batch testing by the medicines regulator.

Health Minister Greg Hunt encouraged all parents to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Vaccinating children can also help reduce community transmission and help prevent children passing the virus on to younger siblings, grandparents and the wider community,” he said.

GPs, pharmacies, state-run clinics and Aboriginal health services will deliver doses, with individual jurisdictions responsible for any school-based vaccine programs.

Advice about giving children aged between six and 11 the Moderna jab is expected over coming weeks.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration earlier signed off on Pfizer for under-12s, but final approval was needed from ATAGI.

Meanwhile Moderna has been confirmed as second booster shot to be used in Australia.

ATAGI has given approval to the Moderna vaccine as a booster shot, and like Pfizer, it can be used irrespective of what vaccine a person received for their primary course of vaccination.

ATAGI has also confirmed in updated advice that booster doses can be provided from five months after completion of the primary course, given the likelihood of ongoing transmission of the Omicron and Delta variants.

This was previously recommended to be six months from a second dose.

“A booster dose, five or more months after the second dose, will make sure that the protection from the primary course is even stronger and longer lasting and should help prevent spread of the virus,” Mr Hunt said.

He said more than 670,000 Australians had already received more than two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The Moderna booster dosage is half that of the primary course dosage.

– BY AAP