Vial of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. — AFP Photo

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese health authorities announced they have expanded the emergency use authorisation for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (Spikevax) to include children from 6 to 12 years old.

The dosage will be 0.25ml, or half of the dosage for adults, according to the Drug Administration of Việt Nam.

The amendment to the original approval of the vaccine is based on the request and subsequent data submission from Zuellig Pharma Việt Nam, which distributes the COVID-19 vaccines in the Asian region.

The primary vaccination course is two doses, with the interval between the two shots set at four weeks.

Previously, the health ministry has approved Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines (Comirnaty) for use in children aged 5-11 years old.

Việt Nam is set to start vaccinating children in the 5-11 age range on the second week of April, with the first batch of vaccines (both Pfizer and Moderna’s) slated to be delivered as aid from Australia in the coming days.

The health ministry has been asking local administrations and health authorities to prepare to get the vaccination campaign rolling as soon as the vaccines are allocated and distributed.

As of March 27, the health ministry said they had received 227.8 million COVID-19 vaccines, including over 14 million doses of Moderna, all of which were donations from other countries or through COVAX. — VNS