COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (AP) – Sri Lankan health authorities yesterday began vaccinating children aged 12 to 15, as the island nation’s top medical specialists warned of a wave of COVID-19 infections in the coming weeks driven by the Omicron variant.
Under the new vaccination programme, children will be given a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, said the Health Ministry. Earlier, children above 15 could be vaccinated.
The latest effort begins as schools are set to fully re-open from Monday.
Children were previously allowed to attend schools in two groups.
The move also comes as authorities take steps to make vaccination certificates compulsory to enter public places.
According to health officials, 47 Omicron cases have been detected so far in Sri Lanka.
The Association of Medical Specialists, which comprises the country’s top doctors, pointed to a surge in COVID-19 cases last April as a warning “that history is repeating itself”.
