COVID-19 vaccine bookings open for eligible children aged six months to five years

Bookings have opened for eligible children aged from six months to under five years of age, for appointments from September 5.

Some Canberra general practitioners will be providing the vaccine, as will the ACT government's Weston Creek clinic, following a recommendation from Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

This comes as the daily number of COVID-19 cases in the territory drops. The ACT recorded 202 new infections to 8pm Monday night after a record low for the year was recorded the day before. The seven-day rolling average dipped from 227 to 219.

Canberra hospitals were caring for 100 people with the virus; one person was in intensive care and none were being ventilated. There were two in intensive care and one of those people was being ventilated the day before.

No new deaths were reported, meaning the total number of lives lost to the virus during the pandemic remains at 123.

The territory's pandemic case tally is now 202,308.

The ACT has 1329 known active cases of coronavirus, 65 fewer than the day before. Of the new cases, 86 were reported through PCR tests and 62 as a result of rapid tests.

The updated advice from ATAGI to parents and guardians of children aged from six months to under five years of age was that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was safe and should be made available.

ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said there are an estimated 1300 children in this age group in the ACT who were now eligible for the vaccine.

Ms Stephen-Smith said these children were at a higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, so getting them vaccinated was an important protection.

"We encourage any parent or guardian with concerns about the vaccine or questions about eligibility to contact their GP or other health specialist for further advice," she said.

Eligible babies and children will require two doses at eight weeks apart - except for those who are severely immunocompromised. Babies and children who are severely immunocompromised will require three doses, eight weeks apart.

The Weston Creek vaccination clinic is in the same location as the access and sensory COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Weston.

The clinic will have the same facilities available including separate vaccination rooms, dimmable lighting and an accessible entry point.

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Vaccines are not yet available for children in that age group who are outside that criteria.

All children aged five years and above are already recommended for COVID-19 vaccination.

Previously, only the Pfizer vaccination was registered for use in five year olds and Moderna was registered from six years of age.

Five year olds will be able to receive either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine from September 5.

Double vaccinated people aged over five make up 77.9 per cent of the ACT population.

The proportion of people aged 16 and over who are triple-vaxxed rose to 78 per cent.

The percentage of people over 50 in the ACT who have received their fourth dose has hit 56.4 per cent.

NSW has recorded 4271 new COVID-19 infections in the 24 hours to 8pm Monday. The state reported 37 deaths with more than 1834 people in hospital and 40 in the ICU.

Victoria has reported 18 deaths and 2950 new infections. There were 337 people in hospital, 22 of those in intensive care to 8pm Monday.

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