"The vaccine meant for children aged 5-11 must first arrive in European Union member states, children are administered a dose three times smaller than adults," Lutsar responded to a question about when child vaccinations would begin.

Lutsar said vaccines should reach Estonia after December 20. In addition to vaccinating at family physicians, other vaccination options will be opened, but the Ministry of Social Affairs has not established a concrete plan yet.

The virologist gave parents a recommendation to get their children vaccinated. "We recommend everyone get vaccinated, there are no studies currently about who the coronavirus endangers and who is in risk of having a serious case," Lutsar noted.

Since constant self-isolation periods have also exhausted schoolchildren, vaccinations can make the situation in schools simpler, the virologist said.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control recently approved extending the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine target group to children aged 5-11.

Vaccines are administered in two injections, the state immunoprophylaxis committee recommends vaccine doses be administered with a six-week period between doses.

The most common side effects for children aged 5-11 can be compared to those of adults, ranging from injection site pain, tiredness, headache, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle aches and chills. These side effects are generally mild and pass in a few days.

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