US Allows Covid-19 Vaccination For Children Aged 5 to 11. Here Is A List Of All The Countries Vaccinating Kids

<p><strong>New Delhi:</strong> After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<em>&nbsp;</em>signed off on giving the Pfizer-BioNTech shots to millions of children ages 5 to 11, the shipping began across the country.</p> <p>"Today, we have reached a turning point in our battle against COVID-19," Biden said in a statement released by the White House, AFP reported.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>ALSO READ: <span style="color: #e03e2d;"><a style="color: #e03e2d;" href="https://ift.tt/3GHYIDz Shutting Down Facial Recognition, To Delete Data Of Over 1 Billion Users</a></span><br /></strong></p> <p>Vaccinating younger children will "allow parents to end months of anxious worrying about their kids, and reduce the extent to which children spread the virus to others. It is a major step forward for our nation in our fight to defeat the virus," the president continued.</p> <p><strong>Countries that have started vaccinating children</strong></p> <p>European countries like Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Italy have already begun vaccinating their children with Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine usually between ages of 12-15 or 12 and 17. Italy later added the Moderna vaccine.</p> <p>Greece in July said children aged 12-15 could be vaccinated against COVID-19 with Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots. &nbsp;Spain began vaccinating children between 12 and 17 years old around two weeks before the academic year in September. Finland's capital Helsinki in June said it will begin giving COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 15 who are at risk of contracting a severe coronavirus infection.&nbsp;</p> <p>Non-EU countries, Norway offered one dose of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 12 to 15. Switzerland on June 4 began vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds with Pfizer's shot, while Moderna was later approved in August for the age group. On Oct. 19, the UK said it will open up a COVID vaccine booking service to those aged 12-15.</p> <p>New Zealand which has been at the top at its game to keep the virus out, in June provisionally approved the use of Pfizer's vaccine for 12-15-year-olds.</p> <p>China on June 5 approved emergency use of Sinovac's vaccine for those between three and 17. Singapore opened up its vaccination programme to adolescents aged 12-18 from June 1. Japan on May 28 approved the use of Pfizer's vaccine for those aged 12 and above.</p> <p>Canada in early May approved use of Pfizer's vaccine for use in children aged 12-15 but the decision for children between 5 and 11 years is not likely to come before mid- to end-November.</p> <p>Many South American countries, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina, Cuba, Columbia, Costa Rica have begun vaccinating children in a few countries children aged as young as 5.&nbsp;</p> <p>South Africa will start vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 17 next week using the Pfizer vaccine.&nbsp;</p> <p>Meanwhile in India, the&nbsp;expert committee (SEC) of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) recently recommended emergency use of Covaxin to inoculate children aged 2-18 years against the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Bharat Biotech, which makes the vaccine submitted data from phase 3 trials of the drug, involving children, a final nod from the DCGI is awaiting.</p> <p>According to reports, the data showed the efficacy rate of the Covaxin shot among children at 77.8 per cent, similar to that among adults.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>