B.C. COVID vaccine clinics for youngest kids start Aug. 2

In just a few weeks, B.C.’s youngest kids will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

On Thursday, Health Canada approved Moderna doses for babies and toddlers. Aug. 2 will be the first day of vaccination clinics in B.C. for kids between the ages of six months and five years.

There are about 208,000 children in this cohort.

“There will be health-authority-operated clinics that are child-friendly,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said.

“We have seen this with kids five to 11. I think teams have done a really good job at making the experience as good as they can.”

On Thursday, Health Canada approved Moderna’s Spikevax for the country’s youngest kids, making the shot the first of its kind to be allowed for that age group in this country. The approved vaccine for this demographic is set to be given to eligible kids in two doses that are each a quarter of the adult dose.

Related article: Health Canada approves first COVID-19 vaccine for youngest kids

Dix urges all parents and guardians to register their kids so they receive an invitation as soon as possible.

“Severe outcomes from COVID-19 are less for children (but) there are children who have had a significant difficulty, this helps make them and the community safer, and we’d encourage people to do it.”

The most common side effects of after vaccination of Spikevax for the youngest demographic are irritability or crying, as well as pain at the injection site and sleepiness. Other noted side effects of the pediatric vaccine include fever, nausea or vomiting, swollen or tender lymph nodes under the arm, and headaches. Those reactions have been usually mild or moderate and resolved within a few days.

NACI’s review of the Spikevax vaccine approval application included a close look at clinical trial data, as well as the spread and severity of the virus in kids under five. Clinical trials involved nearly 6,500 children. There were no deaths and no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis reported during the study.

The vaccine advisory body notes that while most children who contract COVID-19 have mild illness or are asymptomatic, some others get very sick and even require hospitalization.

Related articles: 

• Pfizer says 3 COVID shots protect children under 5

• Mixed messaging around COVID vaccine boosters worries B.C. doctor

• FDA authorizes 1st COVID-19 vaccines for infants, preschoolers

Since B.C. opened up fourth doses beyond those aged 70 and older or considered clinically extremely vulnerable, there has been an increase from 468 second boosters last Monday to 1,350 this past Monday. The province still recommends people wait until the new formulation of the vaccine comes in the fall.

With files from Cormac MacSweeney and The Canadian Press