Dutch give green light for Pfizer shots for children over five; Armenia will allow employers to fire unvaccinated workers

THE HAGUE: The Dutch government cleared the way Friday for children aged 5-11 to get vaccinated against COVID-19, extending its inoculation programme to an age group that had the highest rate of infections in a recent surge.

The programme is set to begin in mid-January, the health ministry said.

The children will get shots of the Pfizer vaccine with a lower dose than adults and it is up to their parents whether they are vaccinated.

The government stressed that most children infected with the coronavirus develop only mild symptoms, but a small number can become seriously ill.

The European Medicines Agency gave the green light last month for a smaller dose of the Pfizer vaccine to be used for children aged 5-11.

Dutch COVID-19 infections soared to record levels last month, straining the health care system and forcing the government to impose a partial lockdown that means bars, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and shops selling non-essential goods have to close at 5 pm.

Infections have since slightly declined since the lockdown started but remain high.

Admissions to intensive care units also are still high but decreasing.

Armenia's parliament approved a law Friday that would allow employers to fire workers who refuse to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative test result.

Russia's ex-Soviet neighbour has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the Caucasus region.

The new rule follows an August order by the ministry of health which required Armenian citizens to provide their employers with proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test every two weeks or face a fine.

"If the employee is not providing a vaccination certificate, or a negative COVID-19 test, the employer is given the right to turn the employee away from the workplace, suspend their pay and fire the employee, if they are off for 10 working days because of that," Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan said Friday.

The new vaccination requirement will not apply to the country's president, prime minister, members of parliament or the National Assembly, the ombudsman, judges of the Constitutional Court and a number of other officials, Sargsyan said.

"This exception was established for the reason that these positions are either (institutional), as in the case of parliamentary deputies, or their holders are appointed in accordance with the Constitution," he said.

Armenia began its mass vaccination campaign in April with authorities planning to inoculate 700,000 of the country's 2.9 million citizens by the end of the year.

However, only 516,989 citizens had been fully vaccinated by Dec.6.

In Armenia, citizens can choose to get vaccinated with the Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, CoronaVac, Sinopharm or Moderna jabs.