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World / Asia

Singapore approves COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11

Published: 10 Dec 2021 - 08:17 pm | Last Updated: 10 Dec 2021 - 08:18 pm
Reuters file photo

Reuters file photo

Reuters

SINGAPORE: Singapore will start COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years before the end of this year, its health ministry said late on Friday.

The Southeast Asian city-state has already vaccinated 87% of its 5.5 million population, and authorities were rushing to get children vaccinated amid concerns over rising number of paediatric COVID-19 cases.

The dosage used for children will be one-third of that used in adults, similar to the United States.

Currently, only Pfizer-BioNTech "Comirnaty" vaccine has been approved for children's usage in Singapore, the health ministry added.

Singapore has also signed a new supply agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech for the COVID-19 vaccine, it said, without specifying how many vials will be supplied.