Ten thousand doses of BioNTech mRNA vaccine specifically for children aged between 5-11 are due to arrive in Macao next month, Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau (SSM), has announced.
Currently, Germany’s BioNTech mRNA jabs are administered to over-12s in Macao, while the other type of Covid-19 vaccine currently available in the city, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine, is used for those aged three or over.
Children aged between 3-11 in Macao have been covered by the government’s Covid-19 vaccination programme since late November when it lowered the minimum age for Sinopharm jabs from 12 to 3.
Leong said that the SSM has ordered 10,000 doses of BioNTech mRNA vaccine specifically for children aged between 5-11 from the supplier, which are expected to be delivered to Macao early next quarter at the earliest.
Leong said that the new BioNTech mRNA vaccine specifically for children will enable parents to have one more option for their children’s Covid-19 inoculations, The Macau Post Daily reported.
As with the general one for those aged 12 or over, the new BioNTech mRNA vaccine for children aged between 5-11 also requires two jabs for them to develop basic full immunity, Leong noted.
