Health Canada has approved the two-dose Moderna vaccine for babies as young as six-months and children up to the age of five-years.

Health Canada’s chief medical advisor Dr. Supriya  Sharma says the authorization comes at a critical time of the pandemic as we progress through the 7th wave.

She says while children are less likely to see complications from COVID-19 and like adults do get sick and spread the virus. In addition, regardless of how severe their experience with the virus may have been children can still develop long-COVID. The two doses will be given about four weeks apart.

It’s half the dose of what is being administered for children aged 6 to 11 years old. Pfizer’s vaccine for young children is still under review.

Nearly two-million children will now be eligible for vaccinations.

The Saskatchewan government says now that Health Canada has approved Moderna vaccine for children aged 6 months to five years, the province will move quickly to make the vaccines available to families.

The Government of Saskatchewan issued a statement Thursday saying that it anticipates the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) will provide guidance for these vaccines soon which is used to formulate policies around intervals to receive the vaccine and immunizing children who are at higher risk or immunocompromised.

The government plans to announce prior to the vaccines arriving, when they will be available so families have a chance to plan to have their children vaccinated. Right now, the government is ordering the vaccines and anticipates receiving them the week of July 18.