Children between the ages of 5 and 11 with an increased medical risk will soon be able to receive a corona vaccination.
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Outgoing minister Hugo de Jonge (Public Health) reported this to the House of Representatives on Wednesday. In doing so, he is adopting an earlier recommendation from the Health Council. De Jonge expects that the vaccinations with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine can start on December 20, at a lower dose than is used in adults.
Health Council
The Health Council concluded that although most children have no or mild symptoms after a corona infection, some can become seriously ill. This concerns, for example, children with conditions such as severe asthma, chronic lung disorders, a (congenital) heart defect and serious developmental disorders.
Children with such conditions can develop Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) after a corona infection: a condition in which there is inflammation in multiple organ systems, which can be life-threatening.
Selection
The Dutch Association for Pediatrics (NVK) has been asked to make a selection of all children between 5 and 11 years of age who are at increased risk. De Jonge has asked the GGDs to set up ‘at least one vaccination street for the vaccination of children’ per GGD region.
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The Health Council is currently considering whether a corona vaccination should be made more widely available for children between the ages of 5 and 11. “The Health Council has indicated that it will provide further advice on this in the short term,” says De Jonge, who notes that this requires “broader social, medical, epidemiological, ethical and legal considerations”.
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