Especially children with pre-existing conditions to be vaccinated quickly now

Following discussions with the company BioNTech, the European Commission has announced that the delivery of the special doses of the vaccine for children to the European Union will be brought forward. Thirteen million doses can be delivered to the European Union as early as this year. From January, there will then be twenty million doses per month.

"Vaccination is particularly important for children who are at increased risk of a severe course in the event of infection, such as children with Down's syndrome, heart defects or lung diseases. That is why I am very happy about this good news. It is now extremely important to set the right priorities. Vaccination of children without an increased risk should be possible after consultation with the parents and, as far as possible, the children themselves. But priority must be given to children with pre-existing conditions," said MEP and health policy spokesperson of the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP-Christian Democrats) Peter Liese.

Liese explained that after the approval of the vaccine for five to eleven-year-olds, there was initially the problem that children should not normally be vaccinated with the adult doses, as they only receive a third of the dose and it is difficult to precisely apply this exact amount from adult doses. "Vaccination is still possible in the context of so-called off-label use, but the special doses give doctors, children and parents an additional level of safety."  Vis-à-vis the EMA and the company BioNTech, Peter Liese had advocated for a speedy processing of the application for approval without compromising on safety and to bring forward the delivery.