Vaccination for Younger Children to Start Soon

Coronavirus vaccinations for children aged 5-11 will start on March 31 after youngsters aged 12-17 started getting their second jabs on Monday.

Health authorities on Monday said 5-11 year-olds will be given a smaller dose of the Pfizer vaccine to "effectively respond to the Omicron variant." The 3.07 million kids in this age group will be vaccinated with an interval of eight weeks between the first and second doses.

But they can get a second dose three weeks after their first if they need it for personal reasons. 

Authorities urged parents to vaccinate immunodeficient children and those with chronic lung, heart, liver or kidney diseases or with diabetes and obesity.

Pfizer's Comirnaty developed for the 5-11 year-olds is the same as the vaccine for kids over 12 except for dosage, which is only about one-third.