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A government-backed campaign has been launched in Abu Dhabi to encourage all parents to have their children vaccinated from the age of 3.
The Maitha bint Ahmed Al Nahyan Foundation for Community and Cultural Initiatives started the "Our Children Are Our Responsibility" initiative in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre.
The campaign aims to encourage parents to have children aged from 3 to 17 vaccinated to help achieve herd immunity in the community and reduce infections by new variants of Covid-19.
The Sinopharm vaccine was approved for use on August 2 by the Ministry of Health and Prevention following successful trials in 900 children in Abu Dhabi.
Children aged 12 and over were already permitted to receive the Pfizer jab under an emergency ruling introduced by the UAE in May.
“Vaccinating children is a social necessity, to support the efforts of relevant authorities that provide the entire community with vaccines,” said Sheikha Maitha bint Ahmed, the foundation’s chairwoman.
“The UAE’s leadership is a leading model, as it is fully supporting the health sector in achieving herd immunity by providing vaccines to all segments of the community and all age groups, including children.
“In light of the foundation’s vision and its role in supporting social initiatives and campaigns, the initiative was launched to support the UAE’s leadership for providing vaccines to the entire community.”
Which countries are vaccinating children?
China approved emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine in those aged 3 and above after reporting preliminary results from clinical trials that showed it triggered an immune response with only mild adverse reactions.
In the UK, approval for the US-made Moderna vaccine was granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for safe use in children aged between 12 and 17.
Meanwhile, the US Centres for Disease Control recommends all children aged 12 and above are vaccinated.
While fewer children have been infected with the virus than adults, they can still be infected, suffer symptoms and spread Covid-19 to others.
The US Food and Drug Administration urged pharmaceutical firms to step up clinical trials in children aged 5 to 11 after reports of rare side effects.
According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, there were 93,824 new cases of Covid-19 in US children in the first week of August, a 30 per cent rise from the previous week, as the Delta variant continues to circulate.
In May, adolescents over 12 became eligible for the Pfizer vaccine in the US, but emergency approval for younger children is unlikely to be granted until the end of the year.
As younger immune systems are more unpredictable than adults, researchers are still unsure of their vaccine response and potential side effects not seen in older people.
