COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to at-risk children from six months to under five years of age from next month.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has recommended approximately 70,000 young children at higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 be able to receive the Moderna vaccine from September 5.
Read on for more details or jump to a specific section:
- Which children are eligible?
- Which vaccine will they get?
- How can I book for my child?
- What about children aged five and older?
At this stage, the vaccine is only recommended for children in that age group who are severely immunocompromised, have a disability, or complex health conditions thatincrease the risk of COVID-19.
ATAGI said it was not recommending broader vaccination within the age group as those children had a low likelihood of severe illness COVID-19, but added that was under ongoing consideration based on data and vaccine supply and availability.
The vaccine advisory body also noted there was insufficient evidence to suggest that vaccination of infants and children would have any impact on community transmission.
Eligible children are advised to receive two primary doses eight weeks apart, with an additional shot recommended for severely immunocompromised children.
The federal Health Minister, Mark Butler, said Australia would be one of the first countries in the world to roll out a COVID-19 vaccination for children aged under five years, following the United States and Canada.
"Given that there is quite a limited cohort here of children who are particularly vulnerable to severe illness we are confident there will be a reasonable uptake," he said.
"This obviously is a matter for parents to decide and I encourage them if they have any questions to consult with their treating medical practitioners."
However, he acknowledged vaccine rates among children aged five to 11 had plateaued, with only 40 per cent of the age group having received two doses and just over half of the cohorthaving received one shot.
"There is more work to do there," he said.
ATAGI's advice follows provisional approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of a paediatric dose of the Moderna vaccine, which contains a lower concentration of the active ingredient than the adult dose.
The federal government has secured 500,000 doses of the paediatric vaccine for the six months to under five-year-old age group and initial supplies will arrive in Australia later this week.
They will need to be batch tested by the TGA before they are rolled out.
Parents are currently unable to book the vaccine but details on doing so will be laid out in coming weeks, with the government noting only a small proportion of vaccination sites will roll out these vaccines.
The TGA has also commenced evaluation for the Pfizer vaccine for under five year olds, which could potentially provide additional supply options for the government.
Mr Butler said overall more than 1.5 million Australians had also received a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine since the federal government expanded eligibility three weeks ago.
Two-thirds of people over 65 have received a fourth dose of the vaccine.
What's the eligibility criteria?
ATAGI recommends a COVID-19 vaccine for children agedfrom six months to under five who:
- Are severely immunocompromised
- Have a disability
- Have complex and/or multiple health conditions which increase the risk of severe COVID-19
Theseincludethe following or similar conditions:
- Severe primary or secondary immunodeficiency, including treatment for cancer, or immunosuppressive treatments as listed in theearlier ATAGI advice on third primary doses of COVID-19 vaccine in individuals who are severely immunocompromised;
- Bone marrow or stem cell transplant, or chimeric antigen T-cell (CAR-T) therapy
- Complex congenital cardiac disease
- Structural airway anomalies or chronic lung disease
- Type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Chronic neurological or neuromuscular conditions
- A disability that requires frequent assistance with activities of daily living, such as severe cerebral palsy or Down syndrome (Trisomy 21)
ATAGI is not recommending broader vaccination for children in this age group who have a low likelihood of having asevere illness from COVID-19.
Which vaccine will they get?
Apaediatric formulation of the Modernavaccine.
The recommended dose for this age group is 25 micrograms of the Moderna vaccine.
That's compared to the 50 micrograms of the Moderna vaccine recommendedfor older childrenand 100 micrograms for people aged 12 years and over.
Howcan I book a vaccine for my child?
You can't justyet.
Mr Butler said bookings wouldopen later this month.
We'll get more details on how to book in the coming weeks.
What about children aged five and older?
ATAGI recommends that all children aged five and older receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
They've been eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine since January.
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