Illustrative stock photo (source: SITA/AP)
This month it will be possible to launch the Covid vaccination of children between the ages of five and 11, said Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) when answering questions in parliament.
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The previous statement was that the vaccination roll-out will be no sooner than in 2022. Slovakia expects the arrival of the first 150,000 child vaccines in December, the TASR newswire reported. Slovakia has ordered 274,000 doses for now. The Minister said that there is no problem ordering more, if needed.
The vaccines should arrive on December 17 to Slovakia, according to Elena Prokopová, the Health Ministry's chief expert on paediatric care, told the Denník N daily. From then, the mass vaccination can begin, she added.
Children should receive two doses of the vaccine, revaccination being after 28 days. A booster shot should be administered only to children with weak immunity.
Vaccination of children with health problems ongoing
Vaccine registration for this age group has still been launched only for immune-compromised patients. Registration for all children should begin in the upcoming days, Denník N wrote.
Children older than 12 may register for Covid vaccination at the moment. As of November 26, nearly 74,500 teenagers were fully vaccinated in Slovakia.
The vaccination of younger children, the 5-11 age group, was launched in early September 2021, but only for children with serious diagnoses and their siblings from whom they could catch Covid.
In such a case, registration and a recommendation from a paediatrician and doctor–specialist is required. A child receives a third of the dose. 338 children of ages between five and 11 have been vaccinated in Slovakia at three specialised centres – Bratislava, Košice and Martin.
