From the end of January, children aged 5 to 11 can receive a corona vaccination, the RIVM reports. Parents will receive a letter between 18 and 22 January with a telephone number that they can call to make an appointment. About 1.3 million letters are sent.
RIVM tells NOS that the first 258,000 vaccines especially for children have already been delivered this week. It concerns the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNtech with a third of the amount of active ingredient. The vaccine is supplied in a vial with an orange cap. Pfizer adult vaccines have a purple cap on the vials.
New deliveries come to the Netherlands every week, which should be good for more than 1 million child doses by the end of January. For the best protection, two shots of the vaccine are needed, 8 weeks apart.
90 percent protection
The Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) has approved Pfizer-BioNtech’s corona vaccine for use in children in the Netherlands and points to a study in 2000 children for the effectiveness of the vaccine. It showed that vaccination protected 90 percent against getting sick as a result of corona.
A corona infection in children is usually mild, but vaccinating children can help prevent the virus from spreading, according to RIVM. The Health Council considers vaccinating children especially important to prevent the serious, but very rare, inflammatory disease MIS-C. The Council calls the vaccine safe for children, but says that the choice lies with the parents.
Children will soon be vaccinated at special injection lines at existing GGD locations. People who are trained to vaccinate children work here. In each region there will be a number of locations especially for children.
Children aged 5 to 11 with a high medical risk have been able to receive a corona vaccination since mid-December. The period between injections is only 4 weeks in this group, because it is believed that the first doses do not work well enough. According to GGD GHOR Nederland, the turnout for this group is not yet high.
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