Germany to vaccinate children over 12 years from June 7

Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on May 28, 2021, that Germany will begin giving coronavirus vaccine jabs to children over 12 years of age from June 7, 2021, onwards.

Vaccination of children in Germany: Key points

• Germany is vaccinating children in the country to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.

• Merkel informed that those interested in getting their children vaccinated will be offered the first of two shots by the end of August 2021.

• The vaccination would not be compulsory for the children, she further said. Schools would not be required children to be vaccinated.

• The European Medicines Agency will be approving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between 12 to 15-years-old on May 28, 2021. The Pfizer vaccine is already authorized in the European Union for children above 16 years.

• The European Medicines Agency has hinted towards recommending the vaccine for children with underlying medical conditions.

• STIKO vaccine regulator in Germany is yet to give its recommendations for vaccination of children over 12 years of age.

Germany: COVID-19 vaccination

• More than 40 per cent of adults in Germany have been administered their first dose of the vaccine while 15 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

• Germany is administering doses of the following vaccines: BioNTech-Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Oxford AstraZeneca.