Several European countries begin giving COVID shots to under-12s

By AP 15 December 2021, 4:03 pm

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Children aged 5-11 receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, at Clallit vaccination center in Jerusalem on November 25, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Greece and a handful of other European Union members begin vaccinating children ages 5-11 against COVID-19 as governments brace for the holiday season and the spread of the Omicron variant.

An Athens children’s hospital administers its first shots to younger children hours after authorities announce Greece’s highest daily death toll of the pandemic at 130. The children are given stickers and the day off school.

More than 30,000 vaccination appointments for under-12s have been booked by Greek parents.

Italy, Spain and Hungary also expand their vaccination programs to younger children.

European Union regulators last month approved a reduced-dose vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech for use in the 5-11 age group. Vaccines for children are voluntary in all European Union countries and require parental approval.

Poland, Portugal, Croatia and Slovenia plan to lower their vaccine eligibility age later in the week.