Pharmacy expert backs Covid jabs for kids

Society of Hospital Pharmacists president Chui Chun-ming said he backed getting infants and children jabbed for Covid-19, calling on the government to purchase doses for children aged 5 to 11.

This came after the US Food and Drug Administration earlier approved the BioNTech vaccine for children aged under five.

Speaking on a radio program, Chui said infants and toddlers aged six months to four years were more likely to have complications such as pneumonia or meningitis once they were infected with the coronavirus.

Given that they were at high risk of serious illness, the society supported Hong Kong following the practice of the United States to lower the age of Covid vaccination to six months.

He added that the vaccination dose for infants was one-tenth of adults and that drawing 0.03 ml of adults' vaccine may cause errors and require certain technologies.

Therefore, he suggested the government purchase the new vaccine dose specifically for children aged 5 to 11, from which further draw the dose needed for infants.

In addition, Chui said extending the interval between the first two doses to eight weeks could prevent myocarditis, and maintain the antibodies level longer.