Australia makes Covid vaccine Moderna available to vulnerable children from six months old

Health minister Mark Butler says government has accepted Atagi's advice and approved the jab for children with serious health conditions aged six months to five years old

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Children as young as six months old who have serious health conditions will be offered a Covid vaccine for the first time, but health authorities have decided against making the jab available to all children under five.

Announcing the decision on Wednesday, the health minister, Mark Butler, said he was hopeful Australia may have passed the peak of the winter Covid wave after a sharp drop in national daily case numbers.