Saudi Arabia has approved the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six to 11 years old. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) approved the decision after a legislation passed on Wednesday April 6.
Moderna was first approved in Saudi Arabia in July 2021 for individuals aged 18 years old and above.
Moderna is not the first approved vaccine for youths under 18 years old in the Kingdom. Pfizer- BioNTech vaccination doses were approved for children aged five to 11 years old in Saudi Arabia last December.
The move to approve the Moderna vaccine for children aged six to 11 years old in Saudi Arabia is expected to help make a safer school environment and reduce the spread of COVID-19 infections both at the school and at home.
Earlier, schools in Saudi Arabia scrapped many COVID restrictions for the third academic term. The update included not having to social distance in classrooms or during sports and playground activities. The mandate applied to all sectors, elementary, secondary, and high schools.
More than 99 percent of the adult population in Saudi Arabia has been vaccinated, and COVID cases have dropped to less than four percent. The Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia still encourages everyone to get their booster shot and get triple vaxxed.
You might also like: COVID-19 update: Unvaccinated travellers can enter Saudi Arabia
This Moderna vaccine approval for children in Saudi Arabia comes at a time when the Kingdom has largely recovered from the COVID pandemic and is lessening restrictions.
As of Saturday March 5, COVID-19 restrictions in Saudi Arabia were lifted so masks are no longer required in open spaces, social distancing has been scrapped in all open and closed places like mosques, hotels, malls, and more.
The Health Ministry in Saudi Arabia has also updated the COVID-19 related travel requirements. Travellers entering the Kingdom no longer have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative PCR test result received before their departure.
April 2022.
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