Northwest Territories pausing COVID-19 vaccines for children after doses expire

YELLOWKNIFE – The Northwest Territories government says COVID-19 vaccines for children age six months to five years will be temporarily unavailable until a new shipment arrives in Canada.

The territory says its current inventory of Moderna’s Spikevax infant pediatric vaccine will soon expire.

That vaccine will be available in the Northwest Territories until March 8.

The territory says there will then be a gap of four to six weeks until a new supply is available for distribution.

While Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is also available for children in this age range, the territory says it does not have that vaccine and it requires more time to complete a primary series.

The Pfizer vaccine requires three doses to complete a primary series, while Moderna requires two.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2023.