The most vaccinated country in Europe is about to step up a gear.
The Portuguese health authority recommended on Tuesday that children aged 5 to 11 be vaccinated against Covid-19 as the country experiences an increase in contamination.
Portugal thus joins Italy, Greece and Spain among the countries which have given their approval to this messenger RNA vaccine for children.
The recommendation of the Directorate General of Health (DGS) is based on the "favorable" opinion of a technical committee which assessed the risks and benefits of vaccination of some 640,000 children potentially concerned.
Although the symptoms in children under 11, "are generally mild", some develop "severe forms of Covid-19" while they do not have risky diseases, argued the DGS in a report. communicated.
Priority will still be given to children with serious diseases, specify the health authorities who will unveil the schedule for this vaccination campaign next Friday.
Read alsoVaccination of children against Covid-19: our answers to your questions
On a rolling seven-day average, the number of new daily cases has reached 3,500 contagions and has just exceeded the peak of the wave caused last summer by the arrival of the Delta variant.
On the other hand, the number of people hospitalized in intensive care units remains significantly lower than at the end of July.
With 88.5% of its population vaccinated, Portugal is the country in Europe with the highest vaccination coverage rate in Europe.
This fall, the country still experienced a resurgence of the epidemic later and less accentuated than in other European countries, but resolved to re-establish certain control measures, by expanding the use of masks and glasses. health pass in particular.
The European drug regulator recommended on November 25 that children aged 5 to 11 be inoculated with a version of the Pfizer vaccine that is weaker than that intended for adults.
In France, only the vaccination of children at risk of developing serious forms has been approved, but the government has said it is considering extending it "to all children" on a "voluntary" basis.
