Youngsters aged between 12 and 15 can be inoculated with the BioNTech mRNA vaccine, the government has decided.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced that since clinical trials have proved the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, the Health Bureau (SSM) will revise its age range for people in Macao to get their BioNTech jabs.
Two types of Covid-19 vaccines are currently available in Macao, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine and Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Currently, Sinopharm jabs are administered to those aged 18 or over, while BioNTech shots are given to those aged 16 or over.
The Centre pointed out that hundreds of millions of mRNA doses have been administered to people aged 16 or over worldwide, adding that the findings of clinical trials of the vaccine on those aged between 12 and 15 have also indicated its safety and effectiveness, the Macau Post Daily reported.
While children who have been infected with Covid-19 have a lower risk of suffering a serious condition or dying from the disease, “the risk cannot be ignored” if they travel to Covid-19 high-risk areas.
Children who have been infected with the novel coronavirus could also transmit the disease at school and infect adults at home, including senior citizens and the chronically ill.
