Germany to get 2.4 million COVID vaccine doses ahead of planned

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Germany to get 2.4 million COVID vaccine doses ahead of planned

Deliveries to start one week ahead of plan are expected to start one week ahead of plan.

BioNTech says it has a speedier schedule thanks to the massive staff effort.

FRANKFURT, Dec 1, Reuters - The European Union-wide rollout of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID 19 vaccine version for five to 11 year-old children will begin Dec 13, one week earlier than originally planned, Germany's health ministry said on Wednesday.

Germany is due to receive 2.4 million doses for use as a two-dose regimen, according to the ministry, which said it has commitments on the new date from the manufacturer.

This is good news for parents and children given the current pandemic situation. In a statement, Jens Spahn, health minister, said many are waiting for this eagerly.

A BioNTech spokeswoman said the production batch would pass quality control checks early next week, and that it was contingent on the production batch passing quality control checks early next week.

The rollout will be brought forward without an impact on agreed delivery volumes, thanks to the efforts of Pfizer and BioNTech staff, according to the company.

The European Union approved the use of the low-dose vaccine version for five to 11 year-olds, after authorisation in May to give the standard adult dosage to children 12 years and older.

Coronaviruses are spreading faster in Europe than in other world regions, prompting a scramble to encourage non-vaccinated adults to get shots, to get a campaign for third booster doses off the ground and to inoculate children.

The number of infections among school-age children in Germany has gone up over the last few weeks and have been twice as high as the all-age average.

Testing in classrooms may bring more asymptomatic cases to light than in the general population.

The United States started distributing the paediatric version of the Pfizer shot in early November, followed by Canada in mid-November.