British health regulator approves Moderna Covid-19 shot for 12- to 17-year-olds

Moderna's vaccine was recommended for use in adolescents by European regulators in July. PHOTO: AFP

LONDON (REUTERS) - Britain's health regulator has approved Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 17 years, it said on Tuesday (Aug 17).

The approval comes more than two months after Pfizer and German partner BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine got the regulatory nod for use in children aged 12 to 15.

Moderna's vaccine was recommended for use in adolescents by European regulators in July and is awaiting US authorisation.

It is currently approved for people over the age of 18 in the UK.

Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) gave the go ahead on Aug 4 for 16- and 17-year-olds to get their first dose of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine ahead of schools reopening in September.

JCVI will make a decision on whether the vaccine will be deployed or not.

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