CANADA: A regional health authority in British Columbia apologized after admitting that 12 children were given the Moderna vaccine, which is yet to be approved for use in those under 18, as the child vaccination campaign kicked off.
Vancouver Coastal Health, a regional health authority that serves one in four residents of British Columbia, Canada, has confirmed that 12 children were given the wrong vaccine on Friday and Saturday last week, as teenagers in the province became eligible for vacci3nation.
Currently, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been cleared for use in children aged 12 to 17 in Canada. However, officials said they do not expect the children to develop any adverse side effects, noting that Moderna claimed recently, citing preliminary data, that their vaccine protects children the same as it protects adults, while triggering similar side effects.
Children from 12 to 17, around 310,000 people, became part of British Columbia’s vaccine rollout on May 20. Although young children are considered to be at lower risk of developing Covid-19 complications, and are less likely to spread the disease compared to adults, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at the time that by vaccinating children, the government seeks to reduce “the overall transmission of Covid in the population.”
According to data from Health Canada, Canadians under 19 account for 18.9% of the total Covid-19 cases, trailing only the 20-29 age group. However, only 1.8%, or 1,245 teenagers, were hospitalized, including 11 who died from the disease – the lowest percentage of all age groups.
As of last week, a little more than half of Canada’s total population has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Fewer than 5% have been fully vaccinated, however.
Last week, Health Canada approved the use of 45,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses past their original expiry date. Canada’s Ministry of Health said the doses can be used until July 1, citing assurances from AstraZeneca that they would still be safe and efficient past the expiry date of May 31.
Join: 👉 https://t.me/acnewspatriots
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AC.NEWS
Disclaimer: This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). AC.News will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article www.ac.news websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner. Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.