Sweden decides against recommending Covid vax for kids aged 5-12

After Norway decided not to recommend the vaccination a few days ago, the Swedish government rejected Covid-19 vaccination for children under 12 today, Thursday.

The Swedish Public Health Agency, in a press release, said that the medical benefit for a child aged 5 to 11 years receiving a Covid-19 vaccine is “currently small.”

“Therefore, the authority for the spring period 2022 does not recommend a general vaccination of children under 12 years of age in Sweden,” the release said. “We will continue to follow up on the issue.”

The agency further said that general Covid-19 vaccinations for children 5 years and older are not expected to “have a major effect on the spread” of the virus in Sweden.

“As before during the pandemic, children have a significantly lower risk of developing severe Covid-19 disease than adults,” the agency said. “In general, the younger the child, the lower the risk.”

“With the knowledge, we have today, with a low risk of severe disease for children, we don’t see any clear benefit in vaccinating them,” Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference Thursday. The Rio Times