Britain has been slower than some other countries in providing doses to children between five and eleven years old, and does not intend to vaccinate this age group on a larger scale, unlike countries such as the United States and Israel.
“I would like to reassure parents and guardians that a new vaccine for children will not be approved unless the expected standards for safety, quality and efficacy are met,” said Maggie Thorpe, UK Minister for Immunization.
Children will receive two 10 microgram doses of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine, which is one third of the adult dose.
Cases of infection among school children are on the rise in England, where the National Health Service estimates that nearly 12 percent of younger schoolchildren contracted the Corona virus in the week ending January 22.