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In Ukraine, it was recommended to vaccinate against COVID-19 children aged 12-17 who do not belong to the risk group of severe COVID-19, but only if they have all the mandatory routine vaccinations.

The relevant recommendations developed by the National Technical Group of experts on immunoprophylaxis were adopted by Order No. 2234 of the Ministry of Health dated 13.10.2021.

“Ukraine currently has enough COVID-19 vaccine to protect people at risk. Following the example of the leading countries of the world, we have opened up the opportunity to get vaccinated against this disease for all adolescents aged 12-17 years. At the same time, the elderly, adults with concomitant diseases, medical workers and teachers remain priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19”, said Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health and chief state sanitary doctor of Ukraine.

Taking into account the available data on the safety and efficacy of vaccines, children over 12 years of age are recommended to be vaccinated with the Comirnaty vaccine by  Pfizer/BioNTech. For them, this vaccine is used according to the same scheme as for adults – two doses of 0.3 ml with an interval of 21-28 days.

In order to vaccinate a child aged 12+ against coronavirus disease, this child, their parents or guardians must provide the doctor who conducts the vaccination with documents confirming that the child has all routine vaccinations according to the national vaccination calendar (form 063/o).

If the child has not received all the necessary routine vaccinations and has no contraindications to them, then he/she should get these vaccinations and then be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

It is necessary to observe a 14-day interval between the administration of COVID-19 vaccines if vaccination against other infectious diseases is necessary, with the exception of emergency vaccination and influenza vaccination, which can be carried out regardless of the time of administration of the Comirnaty vaccine.

We remind that in Ukraine, children over the age of 12, who have high risks of severe course and development of complications after COVID-19 due to concomitant diseases, began to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease with the Comirnaty vaccine back in July. We also note that vaccination of children under 16 years of age takes place with the mandatory consent of their parents or guardians.

The Comirnaty vaccine has passed all the necessary studies for children aged 12-17 years, which proved its effectiveness and safety. According to the USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in mid-October, it is 93% effective against hospitalization of adolescents aged 12-18 years. Currently, the Comirnaty vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech is approved for use in children over 12 years of age in most countries that use this medicine, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, EU countries, etc.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccination, visit moz.gov.ua/koronavirus-2019-ncov and vaccination.covid19.gov.ua.