Montreal

Quebec opens COVID-19 vaccination appointments for babies, kids under 5

Quebec's public health director Dr. Luc Boileau said last week kids will be offered a dose about a quarter of the size of that given to adults.

No vaccination goal set for this age group, public health director says

Appointments are available now through the province's Clic Santé health portal and will be held in vaccination centres across the province. (Ivanoh Demers/CBC/Radio-Canada)

Children aged six months to under five years are eligible to be immunized against COVID-19 at medical clinics and vaccine centres across Quebec as of Monday.

It's the latest cohort to get the green light from Health Canada, which authorized Moderna's vaccine for young children on July 14.

Quebec's public health director Dr. Luc Boileau said last week kids will be offered a dose about a quarter of the size of that given to adults.

Boileau said there's no set objective to vaccinate the roughly 400,000 children under five.

He said Quebec received more than 70,000 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine last week.

Two doses are recommended to bolster the immune system, and Boileau said most kids won't need a third dose except for those who are immunocompromised.