Vaccination of children against Covid in Serbia soon: Dr.Tiodorovic reveals if it will be mandatory

Photo: Tanjug/Serbian government/Slobodan Miljevic, Shutterstock

After the "green light" was given by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the vaccination of children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 with the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine, the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbbia (ALIMS) is expected to launch procedures so that our country can also approve the same vaccine for those older than 12.

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This has been confirmed for Novosti by Professor Dr. Branislav Tiodorovic, epidemiologist and a member of the Crisis HQ, who added that the EMA approval is an important event:

"It has been a month and a few days since we have been expecting this decision. It's very important, because immunization will cover a group of schoolchildren who are potentially major transmitters of the virus."

The well-known epidemiologist noted that vaccines manufactured by Pfizer-Biontech and AstraZeneca have so far been given to children aged 16, while Sinopharm and Sputnik V jabs are administered to those older than 18:

"Adolescents are already covered in Serbia, and some have been vaccinated these days. Now, younger children will be able to join them, because that is the only way to completely beat coronavirus."

On social media, many parents have already voiced their disagreement with the idea of vaccinating children and youths. Professor Tiodorovic said that the approval of the Pfizer vaccine does not mean that it is mandatory:

"The decision whether a child will receive it or not should be made by the parents on the advice of a pediatrician, who knows best how healthy the child is. There have been cases of children with chronic diseases developing a serious (Covid) clinical picture, even with fatal outcomes."

(Telegraf.rs)