New Zealand to vaccinate kids aged 5-11 from Jan

New Zealand government on Tuesday urged parents and caregivers to consider protecting their children aged 5 to 11 against Covid-19 with a suitable jab to be unveiled in January next year.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said that Cabinet has agreed with the advice from the Technical Advisory Group off the back of Medsafe approval to vaccinate children between 5 to 11 years old, reports Xinhua news agency.

"A key focus of the government is to keep everyone in New Zealand safe from the Covid-19 pandemic," Hipkins said.

According to the Ministry of Health, the children vaccination program will begin from January 17, 2022.

There are 476,000 children between the mentioned age group nationwide, who will become eligible to get their first dose from this date, and their second dose at least eight weeks later.

However, the interval can be safely shortened to a minimum of 21 days if needed, the Ministry said.

The New Zealand government strongly recommends parents have their children vaccinated.

"In the most recent outbreak, 24 percent of cases have been aged 11 or under. The government is strongly encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated against Covid-19, but I want to be clear that this is a choice for parents," Hipkins added.