Portugal approves vaccines for children 12-15

Lisbon, August 10

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Portugal is expanding its Covid-19 vaccine rollout to all children between the ages of 12 and 15.

The General Directorate for Health’s announcement Tuesday came after days of uncertainty about the move.

Authorities initially limited shots in that age group to children with chronic illnesses.

Officials said the hesitancy was due to a lack of data, but Director General for Health Graça Freitas said studies in the European Union and the United States have dispelled doubts in Portugal.

Classes are set to resume in Portugal’s schools in about four weeks. Officials estimate there are just over 4,00,000 children in the 12-15 age group.

The European Medicines Agency, the EU’s drug regulator, has recommended that the coronavirus vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna be expanded to children older than 12. AP