A decision has yet to be made on Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as six months old. – Image AAP
The nation’s top immunization advisory group says it is still considering data on whether to give final approval to COVID-19 vaccines for young children.
After its latest meeting, Australia’s Technical Advisory Group on Immunization said a decision had yet to be made on whether to sign off on Moderna’s vaccine for children as young as six months.
The medical regulator granted provisional approval for the vaccine earlier this week, but the advisory panel will still need to give the green light for the rollout to go ahead.
In a statement, the advisory group said it was reviewing data on the impact of COVID-19 infections on young children.
The data also took into account the burden of disease by age group both in Australia and overseas.
“ATAGI will advise the Minister of Health on the use of vaccines against COVID-19 in this age group in due course,” the statement said.
US regulators have only approved vaccines for young children in recent weeks.
However, Health Minister Mark Butler said the supply of the infant vaccine, once approved, would likely be limited due to competition from other parts of the world.
ATAGI said it also reviewed World Health Organization information on vaccine performance in the wake of new, more infectious subvariants.
It comes as Australia’s fourth-dose vaccination rate is likely to exceed 30 per cent of the eligible population the following day.
The latest figures show 29.7 per cent of eligible Australians over 30 have received their second top-up.
The vaccination rate for those over 65 is 64.3%, while 76.1% of eligible aged care residents have received theirs.
There were more than 55,000 cases reported across the country on Thursday, with more than 300,000 reported last week.
Thursday also saw 89 deaths, the highest single-day total since January during the height of Omicron’s first wave.
The federal opposition has called for clarity on the government’s health advice in relation to wearing masks and working from home.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the reintroduction of broad mask mandates was not on the table, despite the rise in infections.
LATEST DATA ON COVID-19 EVERY 24 HOURS:
NSW: 18,669 cases, 15 deaths, 2202 hospitalized with 55 in ICU
Victory: 12,278 cases, 25 deaths, 840 hospitalized and 33 in the ICU
Queensland: 9023 cases, 10 deaths, 1050 hospitalized and 26 in ICU
WA: 6056 cases, one death, 452 hospitalized with 24 in ICU
SA: 4374 cases, seven deaths, 358 hospitalized and 12 in the ICU
NT: 523 cases, none dead, 81 hospitalized with three in the ICU