COVID-19: Vaccination for children aged 3 to 15 not mandatory, UAE ministry clarifies
46 centres now listed in UAE where children aged three to 17 can receive COVID-19 vaccine
Dubai: Vaccination against COVID-19 for children aged three to 15 years is optional, not mandatory, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) clarified on Tuesday.
Vaccines for the three to 17 age group are available in 46 health centres, including 19 in Sharjah, 10 in Fujairah, nine in Ras Al Khaimah, four in Ajman, three in Umm Al Quwain, and one in Dubai.
The vaccine approved for children from three to 11 years is Sinopharm, while children from 12 to 15 years will be given either Sinopharm or Pfizer-Biontech.
The UAE recently approved the emergency use of the Sinopharm vaccine for children aged three to 17.
On Tuesday, the ministry made it clear that the vaccination for children aged three to 15 years is voluntary, not compulsory.
Safe vaccine
Hussain Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector, and Chairman of the National Committee for the Implementation of the Provisions of International Health Regulations and Prevention of Pandemics, said: “The ministry’s approval for the use of the Sinopharm vaccine for children between three and 17 years came after it has proven to be safe, based on the results of the clinical trials, the implementation of all medical protocols in place and according to the highest international standards and practices.”
The UAE aims to get 100 per cent of the target groups vaccinated by the end of 2021.