Sweden has decided against authorising Covid vaccines for children aged 5-11, the Health Agency said today, arguing the benefits do not outweigh the risks. Reuters has the story.
Sweden has decided against recommending COVID vaccines for kids aged 5-11, the Health Agency said on Thursday, arguing that the benefits did not outweigh the risks.
“With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don’t see any clear benefit with vaccinating them,” Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference.
She added that the decision could be revisited if the research changed or if a new variant changed the pandemic. Kids in high-risk groups can already get the vaccine.
It raises the question: Do the benefits really outweigh the risks for teenagers as well?
Sweden, like many countries, is currently reporting record infections, though this is not translating into pressure on hospitals or high numbers of deaths. Unlike neighbouring Denmark, which is to lift its winter measures, the Swedish Government yesterday extended restrictions, including a restaurant curfew and attendance limits for indoor venues, for two weeks but said it hoped to remove them on February 9th.
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