Switzerland authorizes Moderna’s Covid vax for 6-11 year olds

The approval is for the vaccine’s two-dose series of 50 micrograms per dose, Moderna added. These are administered at an interval of four weeks, Swissmedic said on Friday.

The main study in children aged 6 to 11 years found that the immune response triggered by the vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus is comparable with that in young adults, the regulator said.

Around 69% of the Swiss population has received two doses of vaccine.

The Swiss health authorities recommend extending anti-Covid vaccinations to children aged between five and 11. This was introduced from January 2022. Around 6% of 5-11 year olds have been double-jabbed against Covid-19, while 8% have received a single dose, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported on May 9.

Switzerland is below the European median 39% of 5-9 year olds have received a single dose in EU/EEA countries. This ranges from 55% in Spain to 0.4% in Croatia.

The most common side effects of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine such as pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, shivering or nausea, were similar to those in adolescents and young adults, Swissmedic said. The undesirable side effects were generally mild to moderate and lasted for a few days.

The regulator said the vaccination was particularly beneficial for children with previous illnesses in whom the risk of severe Covid-19 is increased.

So far, four different vaccines have been approved in Switzerland. These include mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, a viral vector vaccine from Johnson & Johnson and a protein-based vaccine by Nuvaxovid. SWI swissinfo.ch