The vaccine has been authorised in this new age group after it has been found to meet our standards of safety, quality and effectiveness, with no new safety concerns identified. This followed advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, which carefully reviewed the evidence.
This is the second COVID-19 vaccine to be authorised in this age group; the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (Comirnaty), was authorised in Great Britain for infants and children aged 6 months to 4 years on 6 December 2022.
For this age group, the vaccine is given as a primary series of two 25-microgram injections in the upper arm or in the thigh, approximately one month apart.
In reaching their decision, the MHRA’s experts carefully reviewed data from an ongoing clinical trial involving 6,388 children aged 6 months to 5 years. The common side effects (reactogenicity) were in-keeping with what can be anticipated from a vaccine in this age group.
It is for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to determine if the vaccine will be recommended for use in this age group as part of the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.
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