COVID19: Majority of online bookings is jabs for children

Online appointments for the vaccination of  12-15 year-olds against COVID-19 began on Monday, with over 60% of those booking a jab through the portal was for children.

According to the Health Ministry, 1,385 vaccination appointments were made online Monday, with 830 taken for children aged 12-15.

The vaccination of children is voluntary and must be done with the consent of both parents/guardians.

Last week, the Cabinet approved the vaccination of 12-15 year-olds, taking into account the recommendations of the Cyprus Pediatric Society and the Scientific Advisory Committee.

It is part of increasing vaccination coverage of the population to build herd immunity against COVID-19.

This measure aims to minimize any coronavirus outbreak during the new school year, which begins in September.

Cyprus follows other EU countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, and Greece to achieve wider population coverage.

The Vaccination Portal remains open for all ages as long as there are vaccines available.

The vaccination of minors provides that parents/legal guardians, and a child’s GP, can arrange appointments through the online portal.

The European Medicines Agency currently approves only mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) for administration to persons aged 12 years and over.

When visiting the Vaccination Centres for a jab, children must provide written consent from their Parents/Guardians.

The Form should be presented to the Vaccination Centres upon arrival.

If the minor is accompanied by the parents/guardians (or one of them), they should present an identification document.

When visiting the Vaccination Centre for the second shot, minors should provide an identity card or another official identification document.

During vaccination, children can be accompanied by an adult other than their parents/legal guardians.