Alberta now vaccinating children under 5 against COVID-19

Children and babies in Alberta are now eligible to receive a dose of the Moderna Spikevax vaccine.

Health Canada approved Moderna's vaccine for infants and pre-schoolers in mid-July.

Alberta is the last jurisdiction in the country to open up vaccine eligibility to the age group, making the announcement on Friday.

The recommended dose for children ages six months to 11 years is a series of two doses, with an interval of at least two months between each shot.

The doses given to young children are only about a quarter of the amount administered to adults.

For those immunocompromised, three doses can be administered, with an interval of four to eight weeks between each vaccine appointment. Children on First Nations can access doses at nursing stations or public health clinics on-reserve.

Health Canada says it will continue to keep a close eye on the vaccine's safety, and Moderna is required to provide updated data on the vaccine's effectiveness and safety.

There is still little information about the risk of rare reactions like myocarditis, but no cases were identified during the trials. Instead, the most common responses were similar to the ones children experience for other pediatric vaccines, including pain at the site of the injection, sleepiness and loss of appetite.

The announcement means approximately 234,000 more Albertans are now eligible for the COVID-19 shot, and all Canadian provinces have begun booking vaccine appointments for young children.

First-dose appointments must be booked through the Alberta Vaccine Booking System or by calling Health Link at 811.

With files from CTV News Edmonton and The Canadian Press