THE HAGUE--Youngsters ages 12 to 17 in St. Eustatius and Saba can now also be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine Moderna.
Dutch caretaker Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Sport Hugo de Jonge announced in a letter that he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Friday that he will take over the advice of the Netherlands Health Council with regard to the vaccination of youngsters between the age of 12 and 17 with Moderna.
The minister’s decision to allow this age group to be vaccinated with Moderna is especially important for youngsters in St. Eustatius and Saba where this is the only vaccine that is administered. Per this weekend, young people between the age 12 and 17 on these two islands can get their first Moderna jab.
In the rest of the Dutch Kingdom, the vaccination programme for youngsters of this age group with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine will continue. Youngsters who want to can start the new schoolyear fully vaccinated with the time between the first and second dose of BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine being three weeks. For Moderna, the time between the two jabs is 28 days.
Minister De Jonge reminded youngsters that it was important to get vaccinated since they too can become very ill from the coronavirus. Youngsters can also develop the long-lasting Lung COVID-19. Being vaccinated will better protect the youngsters against the disease and hospitalisation. Vaccination furthermore reduces the risk of transmitting the virus, which aids in protecting society as a whole.
On July 23, the European Medication Agency EMA decided that the Moderna vaccine was also suitable for youngsters age 12 to 17. The Netherlands Health Council subscribes to the EMA advice and emphasised that the Moderna vaccine for youngsters from the age of 12 is safe and effective. The immune response is as good as in adults.
Just as adults, youngsters can develop temporary reactions after their vaccination, such as headache, muscle ache, tiredness or fever.
