Lotte Soeteman, advisor of Netherland's Health Minister Hugo De Jonge, holds the first used Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the last EU country to start vaccinations against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is pictured in Veghel, Netherlands, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
AMSTERDAM: The Dutch Health Council on Friday advised the government to make it possible for children aged 5-11 to get coronavirus shots.
The council had until now only recommended that children with underlying health issues be vaccinated for COVID-19.
In a statement the leading advisory body said that it was making the recommendation even though most children experience mild symptoms from the virus.
"There is a risk of a serious inflammatory reaction in the vital organs. It is plausible that vaccination can prevent this," it said. "Vaccination also reduces the indirect health disadvantage that children experience as a result of the pandemic, for example because they are limited in going to school, sports or social contacts."
Roughly 85% of adults in the Netherlands are fully vaccinated, but only children aged 12 and older had been eligible for the shots.
