Ukraine to consider vaccination of children over 5 years old
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Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin revealed that the Ministry of Health is considering allowing children over the age of 5 to receive the Covid-19 vaccine starting April.
In an interview with BBC Ukraine, Kuzin stated that this decision is being considered as other countries that implemented vaccination for children have shown a reduction in the severity of symptoms related to the disease.
At the moment, Ukraine permits children aged 12 to 18 to receive the vaccine at the request of their parents.
According to Kuzin, vaccinating younger children will help prevent the severity of future outbreaks.
The Ministry of Health predicts that another wave of infection will begin in late January, with a peak in February and a decline sometime in March-April. During this time, Ukraine is expected to have more cases of the new Omicron strain of Covid-19.
The Omicron variant was first detected in Ukraine on Dec. 18, 2021. Several studies have shown Omicron to be 3-5 times more infectious than the Delta variant.
Following the spread of Omicron, the ministry has approved booster shots for all adults in Ukraine on Jan. 6.
The country will also soon shorten the validity period of Covid-19 vaccine certificates from a full year to 270 days.
As of Jan. 11, Ukraine has fully vaccinated over 14 million people, 37% of its general population and 45% of its adult population, and administered 28,085 booster doses.
