SOURCE – CMC — Health officials in Bermuda announced on Friday that children aged 12 to 15 can now be vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The announcement followed a similar ruling by the United Kingdom health regulator.
Previously, the vaccine was available only to anyone over the age of 16 in the British Overseas Territory.
A health department spokeswoman said there are around 900 registered children in the 12 to 15 age group in Bermuda.
So far, 52 per cent of the island has been fully vaccinated.
Five thousand shots of the Pfizer vaccine sent by the British government remain, but people need to get their first shots by Tuesday as the expiry date for the drug is June 30.
“I encourage parents who have children in this age group and have not registered them to be vaccinated to do so as soon as possible so that we can accommodate them before June 8,” said Health Minister Kim Wilson.
Earlier, the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children aged 12 to 15.
“They have announced that it is safe and effective in this age group and the benefits outweigh any risks,” Wilson said, adding that Bermuda would be paid for 470 AstraZeneca doses that had been provided to Viking Ocean Cruises for its Viking Orion, now moored in Hamilton ahead of its homeporting cruises from the island starting on June 15.
Bermuda recently gave 9,000 doses of AstraZeneca to Trinidad and Tobago.
Wilson warned that once stocks of vaccines expired, there was no guarantee that Bermuda would get more Pfizer vaccines.
More vaccines are on order from the COVAX facility, but Wilson said the arrival date was not yet known.
The US Food and Drug Administration has also approved the use of the vaccine for children in the age group.
But Bermuda had to put off making a decision until the UK had given the green light.
Last month, Wilson said her government was in discussions with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London to obtain clearance for Britain’s supply of the Pfizer vaccine to be given to children aged 12 to 15.
Dr Ayo Oyinloye, the island’s chief medical officer, said Bermuda was covered under the UK’s legal indemnity for administering the jab to people aged 16 and up.
“The indemnity is based on advice from the committee on vaccination and immunisation and the medicines and health regulatory authority,” he said, adding that Bermuda would automatically receive approval to extend its use to younger recipients once the UK government cleared it.
Only a handful of adolescents have tested positive for the virus this year, according to Dr Dy-Juan DeRoza, the National Epidemiologist in the Ministry of Health.
DeRoza said that there had been 67 cases recorded in that age group, but added that many young carriers never experience symptoms.
Bermuda has recorded no new COVID-19 cases for the sixth day running and only 17 active cases remain with one person in the hospital.
In all, Bermuda has recorded 2,494 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 33 people dying from the virus.
