Parents could soon have another option to vaccinate children against Covid with Australia’s medical regulator set to make a huge call.
Children under 12 could soon have access to the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, as the immunisation program ramps up across Australia.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was hopeful the jab would be approved after the pharmaceutical company submits new safety and efficacy data about its paediatric vaccine to the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Monday.
Moderna’s trials have previously shown children aged six to 11 had a strong immune response when they received half the adult dose one month apart.
If approved, it would give parents another option after children five to 11 became eligible for the Pfizer jab last week, which is one third of the adult dose eight weeks apart.
Mr Hunt said on Sunday he anticipated receiving more information “imminently”.
“They are due to provide that to the European Medicines Agency and the Australian TGA simultaneously on the 17th (of January),” he said.
“(Moderna) are very focused on bringing this forward and the TGA will do a priority assessment, but an independent assessment.”
The Moderna paediatric doses have not yet been approved by any major regulator, but “they are coming” with new data this week.
Mr Hunt said he had spoken to the Moderna chief executive officer twice in recent days, and said the company was “very focused on bringing this forward”.
More than 300,000 children aged five to 11 have received a jab across the country since the paediatric rollout began last Monday.
“I’m really delighted about this,” Mr Hunt said.
“Kids and families are coming forward around the country.”
Despite parents and general practices across the country voicing concerns about supply and availability of appointments, Mr Hunt said “there is enough out there”.
“We’ll be working with GPs and pharmacists and the states to ensure that they have specialised clinics for children to provide that additional access,” Mr Hunt said.
By the end of this week, there will be almost two million doses in fridges across the country.
Australia hit another vaccination milestone on Sunday, with 46 million doses now administered since the beginning of the rollout.
All states have now hit the 90 per cent first dose vaccination milestone, and five million people have received a booster shot.
Originally published as Greg Hunt says Moderna to submit data to TGA for children’s vaccination
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