The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging & Zoonotic Diseases today issued their interim recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines for children down to six months of age.

The issuance was made at an online meeting convened by them, joined by the Chief Executive's expert advisory panel.

It is noted that the early clinical trial data from three doses of BioNTech vaccine and two doses of Sinovac vaccine in children down to six months of age showed that both vaccines were immunogenic and had no new safety concerns.

Taking into account the local context and in anticipation of the winter surge, vaccinating this group of children will help protect them from severe disease and death.

The meeting also recommended a fourth dose for those aged 50 years and above at least three months from the third dose on par with the elderly population.

Moreover, three doses of either of the two vaccines are highly effective in reducing hospitalisation, severe disease and death across all age groups in the adult population and completion of the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccines is strongly urged as soon as possible.

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