Public Health in Nova Scotia is encouraging parents of young children who are due for their next dose of Moderna’s infant COVID-19 vaccine to book their next vaccination before Mar. 8.
The prompt comes after the federal government, which is in charge of vaccine distribution across Canada, notified the province that a disruption in the supply of Moderna’s infant COVID-19 vaccine will begin on Mar. 9 and is anticipated to last a few weeks.
“There’s still time to schedule an appointment before the anticipated disruption. However, if that is not possible, children should receive their next dose once the supply is available,” said Dr. Robert Strang, chief medical officer of health. “I want to reassure parents that delaying the second dose does not impact the vaccine’s effectiveness.”
Public Health released the following guidance for children aged six months to four years:
- children who started their primary series with Moderna and are due for their next dose on or before Mar. 8 should still receive the dose by that date
- children who are due for their second Moderna dose after Mar. 8 may be delayed
- children who have not received any doses of COVID-19 vaccine can still begin their primary series with Moderna before Mar. 8, but their second dose may be delayed
- children who have already started their primary series with Moderna cannot switch to the Pfizer vaccine at this time as Moderna is a two-dose primary series in this age group and Pfizer is a three-dose primary series
Public Health says the disruption could impact roughly 34,000 children aged six months to four years in Nova Scotia.
The province will notify Nova Scotians once shipments of additional Moderna infant COVID-19 vaccine resume.
Health officials say there is no impact on children who are receiving the Pfizer infant vaccine.
Children who have been infected with COVID-19 should wait eight weeks between infection and starting or completing their vaccine series.
Appointments can be booked 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.
