Romania has started vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds against Covid-19. On the first day almost 2,000 received jabs, authorities said.
Romania claims to be the first European Union member to administer BioNTech/Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to the 12-15 age group days after it was approved by the EU regulator.
Centers
Parents who want to vaccinate their children can apply online or head directly to any of the inoculation centers.
Romania’s vaccine czar Valeriu Gheorghita said on Thursday that 1,903 youngsters had received jabs on the first day.
He said a further 4,000 had registered for jabs on the government’s vaccination platform, News.ro reported.
Vaccine doses
About 500 youngsters in Bucharest received their first jab on Wednesday, and 178 in the northwest county of Cluj.
The number of daily vaccine doses administered across the country has dropped in recent weeks, particularly in rural areas where vaccine hesitancy in strong. There have been more than one million cases of Covid-19 and the virus has led to more than 30,000 deaths.
The European Medicines Agency on Friday approved the use of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine for the over 12s.
The European Center for Disease Control, however, recommended in a report issued on Tuesday that the health situation for older people should be analyzed before administering jabs to the 12-18 age group.
Vaccination campaign
Other EU countries have already extended their vaccination campaign to teens.
Italy on Monday approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot to 12-15-year-olds.
Germany plans to offer a first jab to children aged 12-16 from June 7, while Poland would start inoculating those aged 12-15 the same day, Euronews reported.
French teenagers aged 12-18 will be eligible for Covid-19 vaccination from June 15, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday.
Pfizer/BioNTech
The United States approved the Pfizer/BioNTech for emergency use in 12 to 15 year-olds in May. The country’s Food and Drug Administration said that the benefits outweighed the potential risks.
