North Macedonia began vaccinating young people over 12 against the coronavirus on Monday, to avoid a wave of infections in the fall when schools reopen.
Health authorities indicated that only about 1,800 young people had signed up to receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which the country considers the best for children.
The senior officials said the low number of registrations is due to parents’ fears about possible side effects.
Health Minister Venko Filipce reiterated the position that only a mass vaccination will end the pandemic, and encouraged parents to take their children to get vaccinated.
North Macedonia has so far vaccinated a quarter of its population of 2 million.
The country registered dozens of new cases in the past week, most of the contagious delta variant.
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