The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 17 years.
The vaccine, known as Spikevax, is safe and effective in this age group.It has already been recommended for use in adolescents by European regulators in July and is awaiting U.S. authorisation and has already approved for people over the age of 18 in the UK.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) gave the go ahead on Aug. 4 for 16 and 17-year-olds to get their first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine ahead of the reopening of schools for the new education year in September. read more
JCVI will make a decision on whether 12-17 year olds should be vaccinated with the shot made by Moderna as part of its deployment programme.
The MHRA said it did not identify any new side effects with the vaccine and that the safety data was comparable with that for young adults, with adverse events being mostly mild and moderate and including sore arms or fatigue.
