Expiring doses mean pause in Covid-19 vaccine for young NWT kids

Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for young children won’t be available in the NWT for up to six weeks starting next month, the territory’s health authority says.

The health authority says its existing supply of the Spikevax vaccine for children aged six months to five years is expiring, so appointments will be put on hold from Thursday, March 9 until fresh doses arrive.

In a news release, the authority said that’s likely to mean a “gap in availability” of four to six weeks.

Whether the expiry of Moderna stock without an immediate replacement is unique to the territory or occurring across Canada was not immediately clear. The authority said it was waiting “until a new shipment of vaccines arrives in Canada.”

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine can also be used for young children, but the health authority said it isn’t in the NWT’s inventory.

The Pfizer version “requires a three-dose primary series compared to Moderna’s two doses and, as a result, requires more time to complete a primary series,” the health authority stated. “With the anticipated duration of gap in Moderna availability, the Pfizer product would not provide an advantage in timeframe to complete a primary series.”

For information about getting a young child vaccinated, visit the health authority’s website.