Kids Aged 5 To 11 May Soon Get BioNTech Jabs: Expert

A member of an expert committee advising the government on Covid vaccines on Saturday said it would likely recommend to the government that five to eleven-year-olds receive the BioNTech jab, adding that a vaccination programme for the age group may be launched within a month.

Speaking on a radio programme, Professor Ivan Hung from the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Medicine said clinical trials by Pfizer -- the US manufacturer of the vaccine -- show it is safe and effective for young children.

Professor Hung said the idea is for children to get one-third of a dose.

“So if the delta variant manages to get in and we have a fifth wave as assumed, then there’ll be problem especially among children who have not been vaccinated. So that’s why it’s important for the children, especially among the five to eleven-year-olds, to get vaccinated as well,” he said.

The professor added that protecting the children would also help protect their elderly family members.

“If they get vaccinated, then they will be able to reduce their viral carriage in the infection, and they’ll be able to protect the elderly as well because the elderly may not have been vaccinated. Or even that they have been vaccinated, their antibodies will be on the low side,” he said.

He said the expert panel would hold a meeting on Saturday afternoon and come up with a final decision very soon.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to launch the vaccination campaign maybe within a month for children,” Hung said.

The expert also said for every one million Covid vaccine doses administered to children aged between 12 and 17 in Hong Kong, around 100 or so cases developed myocarditis after vaccination. He said around 90 percent of such cases had a speedy recovery.

Hung said one shot of the BioNTech vaccine is just 37 percent effective against Covid, while two shots of it can provide 87 percent protection. He said young people, who have only received one dose, may have to get their second dose two to three months later to stay protected against the virus.