Green light for vaccination of children from 5 years

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The political green light comes after earlier positive signals and advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Superior Health Council. At the end of last month, the EMA already gave the green light to put the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged five to eleven. The benefits outweigh the potential risks, especially in children at risk from underlying conditions, it said in a statement. Last week, a positive advice from the Superior Health Council (SHC) followed in our country.

With the decision of the health ministers, the knot has been cut completely. As with the rest of the population, vaccination for five to eleven year olds is voluntary and free. The group of children with underlying disorders – this would be a limited group – will be given priority. They will be invited according to the procedure that is also used for the adolescents with underlying conditions. “This means that general practitioners and pediatricians can identify the children in question and in this way have them invited to be vaccinated,” the statement reads. press release from the IMC.

The intention is that the first invitations for children with underlying conditions will be sent at the end of December. “Information letters will also be sent to invite children ages 5 to 11 without co-morbidities,” the IMC added.

The vaccination of children requires parental consent (or the consent of a legal guardian). The federal states, which are responsible for the practical roll-out of vaccinations, commit themselves to organizing the vaccination in a “child-friendly way”.

The health ministers also emphasize that the vaccination status of five to 11-year-olds will have no impact on children’s access to public life. There will therefore be no Covid Safe Ticket (CST) for that age group.

The vaccine will be given in two doses, 21 days apart.

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