Coronavirus vaccination schedule: Minors will be vaccinated before school year begins

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Over the summer, children and adolescents aged twelve to fifteen are to be broadly vaccinated against the coronavirus, Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) said Wednesday.

After the vaccine Comirnaty of BioNTech/Pfizer was approved in Austria also for minors, this is to offer to the pupils before beginning of the new school year starting from autumn a greatest possible protection.

340,000 children and adolescents fall into this group. Mückstein assumes that around 200,000 will take advantage of this offer. The goal is to have “as undisturbed attendance as possible in September”. The start is already being made, with certain provinces such as Vienna, Lower Austria and Upper Austria already allocating vaccination dates. There will be enough vaccine available, Mückstein assured. In June, Austria will receive about three million doses of vaccine, he said. “This will continue in the third quarter.”

Minors added to coronavirus vaccination schedule
The addition of the 12- to 15-year-old age group to the Covid 19 vaccination schedule has now been approved by the National Parliament. To this end, the National Immunization Panel (NIG) has recommended Covid-19 vaccination for this age group according to the prioritization list – risk groups first, descending by age. Until Covid 19 vaccines are available for younger children at increased risk of disease, special importance and priority must be given to protecting the environment with regard to vaccination against coronavirus, according to the presentation of the Austrian Ministerial Council.

Children below 14 years of age need the consent of a parent or guardian. Mature minors – young people over the age of 14 – must give their own consent if they have the necessary decision-making capacity. Even if a parent would refuse vaccination in this situation, the minor of legal age can decide to be vaccinated himself or herself.

Children and adolescents rarely become severely ill with covid-19 compared with adults, but severe disease courses or severe consequences such as long-covid syndrome are possible, Mückstein said. In addition, children can not only become ill themselves, but also contribute to the general incidence of infection. Vaccination would achieve herd immunity sooner, he said. “This is the only way back to normal life,” the health minister said.