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UK approves Moderna coronavirus vaccine for 12 to 17-year-olds
The Sky News reported that the UK health regulator has approved the Moderna coronavirus vaccine for 12 to 17-year-olds.
According to the media outlet, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it is now up to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise the government on whether children in this age group should be given the jab.
The MHRA said that the jab - also known as the Spikevax vaccine - is "safe and effective in this age group".
The Sky News added, Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said: "I am pleased to confirm that that the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna has now been authorised in 12 to 17-year-olds.
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"We have in place a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the safety of all UK-approved COVID-19 vaccines and this surveillance will include the 12 to 17-year age group.
"It is for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise on whether this age group should be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna as part of the deployment programme."
It should be noted that all teenagers aged 16 and 17 in the UK are to be offered a coronavirus vaccine by 23 August.
The vaccine is already available to children aged 12 and over if their health leaves them at higher risk, or if they live with an immunosuppressed person.
The approval comes more than two months after the Pfizer-BioNTech jab got the greenlight for use in children aged 12 to 15 in the UK. It was already approved for use in over-16s.
Source: skynews
