Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Health
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has a strong track record of delivering vaccination programs across the State with nearly 95 per cent of Tasmanians aged 16 and over having received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Following the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA) announcement that they have provisionally approved the Pfizer vaccine in Australia for children aged 5 to 11, we will now take every step possible to ensure that we can vaccinate this cohort as quickly as possible.
The choice to vaccinate children in this cohort – while strongly recommended – is entirely voluntary, and will not be mandated.
From Monday 13 December, children aged 5 to 11 years old will be eligible to book an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at special children’s clinics.
These appointments will be available from 10 January 2022 with the aim of giving every primary school-aged child the opportunity to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before they return to school in February.
Clinics will be held at community locations across the State.
Children will get a special paediatric dose of the vaccine that is one-third of the size approved for people aged 12 and over. These paediatric doses will not be available in other community clinics for adults and young people over the age of 12.
Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will be asked to give written consent for the child to be vaccinated.
While children are at lower risk of serious illness from COVID-19, we know that children and young people experience the highest rates of infection and are the biggest spreaders from household to household because of their high levels of social activity.
By getting vaccinated children will not only be less likely to pass the virus on to others, but it will also make it less likely that children will experience disruption to their schooling, sports, and other activities.
I strongly encourage parents and carers to book their children in for vaccination to protect their children, their families, and the wider community.
Bookings can be made from Monday 13 December by visiting www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccine
