Britain approves Moderna's COVID shot for children aged six and older

Britain's medicines regulator said on Thursday it had approved the use of Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine in children between six and 11 years, as the country bolsters itself for fighting coronavirus infections.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the approval was granted after Moderna's vaccine, known as Spikevax, met the required standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

Spikevax was already approved in Britain for those over 12 years, and the extension to include younger children comes hours after the regulator approved French firm Valneva's easy-to-store COVID-19 vaccine for adults up to 50 years of age.


MHRA chief June Raine said in a statement it would be up to Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to advise on whether Moderna's vaccine will be offered to the younger group as part of the country's immunisation programme.