Sweden, which often found itself against the tide during the pandemic in its strategy against Covid, has again taken a decision that runs counter to many European countries.
The Nordic country has chosen not to recommend the vaccination of 5-11 year olds against Covid-19, health authorities announced on Thursday.
Only vaccination of children at risk is suggested.
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"The vaccines are safe, they are very good vaccines, but we focus on the medical benefits for the individual child and we don't feel the benefits are great enough to recommend vaccinating the whole group," said Britta Björklund, case manager at the Swedish Public Health Authority.
“We don't believe in vaccinating a whole group of children on behalf of society.
We want a clear benefit for the children themselves and that is why we do not recommend it at the moment,” said the health official.
This position may be reassessed
"Vaccinating such a large group is a major medical operation and we believe there must be a clear benefit to the individual child," she continued.
However, this position may be reassessed depending on health developments, according to the authorities.
After the green light from regulators, many countries in Europe and around the world have chosen to have children aged 5 to 11 vaccinated.
France took the plunge on December 15, but the vaccination campaign for this age group got off to a very slow start, coming up against opposition from many parents in particular.