The Swedish health authority has announced that it will berecommending vaccination against Covid-19 of healthy adolescents aged 12 to 17 years because of the «very low risk» of developing severe forms of the disease at this age.
The measure will enter into force on 31 October, clarifies in a statement by the Public Health Service.
«The decision means that from 1 November the recommendation - and therefore the vaccination proposal - will only apply to minors in high-risk groups for Covid-19,» it says.
At the beginning of September, the United Kingdom, for its part, had lifted its recommendation to vaccinate children under 11 years of age without health problems.
«Overall, we find that the need for Covid-19-related treatment was low in children and young people during the pandemic and that it also decreased after the emergence of the Omicron variant,» the Swedish Health Service points out.
For those over 18 years of age, the Swedish recommendation is for three doses of vaccine. In the Nordic country, the fourth dose is recommended for those over 65 years of age.
Sweden, which implemented a strategy that was overall less stringent than that implemented by other countries in Europe against Covid-19, saw its death toll rise slightly during the summer, but is currently declining.
After being above average at the start of the pandemic, the Nordic country now has fewer deaths per 100,000 inhabitants than the European average.
