Ireland is moving to another phase of vaccination programme as children aged 12-15 will be given Covid vaccine from today. The online portal for registration started Thursday night and almost 65,000 children of this age group have booked their slots so far, the Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed. Many of them will get first dose of Pfizer vaccine this weekend itself, said HSE chief Paul Reid yesterday.
The use of Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine among the 12-15 age group has been found safe after studies involving 2,259 children and subsequently European Medicines Agency gave permission to use the same in this age group in European Union nations. In Ireland, the vaccine will be given to children only with the consent of parents.
The common side effects observed in children after receiving Pfizer vaccine are pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle and joint pain, chills and fever. The side effects may last for some days and not at all serious in most of the cases. ‘The benefits exceeded any risk associated with vaccines for children,’ chair of The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) had also said.
In any case if you find abnormal side effects or serious health issues after taking vaccine, please reach the nearest hospital as soon as possible.