Regarding the vaccine for the Omicron strain of the new coronavirus, the American pharmaceutical company Moderna has applied to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to lower the target age for vaccination, which is 12 years old or older, to 6 years old or older.
This is the second application for approval of the vaccine against the Omicron strain for elementary school students.
According to Moderna's announcement,
▽ booster vaccines containing components corresponding to Omicron strain "BA.5" and
▽ booster vaccines containing components corresponding to "BA.1" are
subject to vaccination. It is said that an application for approval was made to lower the age from the current "12 years old or older" to "6 years old or older".
In addition, he requested that the target age for the first vaccination vaccine for the conventional virus be ``6 years old or older''.
The vaccine for the Omicron strain is a type called a "bivalent vaccine" that contains two types of genetic material "messenger RNA", one for the conventional virus and one for the Omicron strain.
In Japan, conventional vaccines are used for elementary school students, and this is the second application for approval of an Omicron strain vaccine for this age group, following Pfizer, a major American pharmaceutical company, in October last year. is.
In the United States, Moderna's Omicron vaccine for this age group has half the amount of ingredients for those 12 years and older.