Italy Promotes Vaccination for Children Aged 5 to 11 Years

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Italy plans to proceed with COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11.

On the 1st (local time), the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) approved the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 with the pediatric vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. AIFA explained that the vaccine shows a high level of preventive effectiveness in this age group and no safety concerns have been observed. The recommended dosage is one-third of the adult dose. The interval between the first and second doses is three weeks, the same as for adults.

Italian health authorities plan to start vaccinations no later than Christmas (December 25).

However, it is known that they are not considering making vaccination mandatory for this age group or introducing an immunity certificate (Green Pass) system. Italy issues Green Passes to vaccinated individuals, those who test negative, and those who have recovered after infection. Since its introduction in early August, the Green Pass is now applied to almost all areas of daily life. It must be presented when entering indoor restaurants, gyms, museums, and art galleries, or when using long-distance transportation such as trains, airplanes, and express buses, as well as when going to work at private and public workplaces.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.