Netherlands to stop offering Covid vaccines to most children under 12

Healthy children aged 5 to 11 can no longer get vaccinated against the coronavirus in the Netherlands. Children with an increased medical risk will still be offered the shot, Minister Ernst Kuipers of Public Health announced. He thereby adopted the advice of the Dutch Health Council.

From February 23, parents will no longer be able to make an appointment for vaccination for a child in this age group without a doctor’s referral. Appointments scheduled in the meantime, including after February 23, can continue as planned. This concerns, for example, children who already have an appointment for their second vaccination. “They can complete the basic series.” They won’t be called for repeat- or booster shots.

Children with other medical issues that make the coronavirus more dangerous for them can continue to get vaccinated against Covid-19. They can also get a repeat shot.

Since December 2021, all children aged 5 to 11 could get vaccinated against Covid-19. At the time, the Health Council judged that the vaccine had added value because it could protect against MIS-C - a rare but severe condition that could affect children after their first coronavirus infection.

Most children in the Netherlands have now had the coronavirus at least once. And the risk of MIS-C is smaller with the currently dominant Omicron variant of the virus, the Health Council stated in advice to the government on January 10. That makes the usefulness of vaccinating young children “limited.”