COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Aged 6 Months to 4 Years
Parents and guardians of children aged six months to four years old will soon be able to book their child’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
Children will be able to receive Moderna’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently the only one approved in Canada for this age group.
“We know that many parents of young children have been anticipating this day for quite some time, and we are pleased to see that there’s such a great interest to get some of the youngest Nova Scotians vaccinated,” said Dr. Shelley Deeks, Nova Scotia’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health. “While most children in this age group have relatively mild disease, some do experience severe illness, especially those with underlying medical conditions.”
Appointments for children aged six months to four years old will open for booking in early August online at https://novascotia.ca/vaccination or by calling 1-833-797-7772. Vaccine scheduling by phone is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Initial supply of the vaccine for children in this age group will be limited, but more appointments will be added once shipments from the federal government arrive.
Children will need two doses of vaccine at least eight weeks apart. Moderately to severely immunocompromised children will need three doses of vaccine, with at least four weeks between the first and second dose and eight weeks between the second and third dose. Children will be considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their last dose.
Children who have been infected with COVID-19 should wait eight weeks between infection and starting or completing their vaccine series.
If children are receiving other routine pediatric vaccines, those vaccines can only be administered at least 14 days before or after the COVID-19 vaccine.
Quick Facts:
- there are about 34,000 children aged six months to four years old in Nova Scotia
- the Province has adopted the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s recommendations on Moderna’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for this age group
Additional Resources:
NACI’s recommendations on Moderna’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six months to four years: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/naci-summary-july-14-2022.pdf
More information on who is considered immunocompromised is available at: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/immunocompromised/
Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan: https://novascotia.ca/vaccineplan