After the Spanish health ministry gave the go-ahead to vaccinating children aged five to 11 and the country received its first doses of pediatric jabs on Monday, Spain is ready to relaunch its vaccination efforts.
What began 12 months ago with essential workers, the elderly and the most vulnerable has come full circle with the youngest members of the population next in line.
Children 11 years-old and below will receive the Pfizer-BioNTech "pediatric vaccine."
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Children wait with relatives to receive their jab at a vaccination center in Pontevedra, northwestern Spain. /Miguel Riopa/AFP
Most parents in favor
Recent surveys have suggested the uptake will be high. Around three-quarters of parents interviewed by pollsters were in favor of their children being vaccinated.
CGTN Europe visited a vaccination center in Madrid and spoke to parents who were bringing their children to be inoculated.
"I would like to believe this is a good decision. We had our doubts, of course, but it's a gamble worth taking, with the information that we have available to us now," said one mother.
Another added: "I didn't doubt it for a single second. It was the same for adults and now it's the kids' turn. They are one of the main spreaders of the virus. The infection rate keeps going up so we need to vaccinate them."
There has been pushback in some quarters. A minority of parents have questioned the need to vaccinate children who have, until now, been largely resilient to the virus.
A child plays with stickers after receiving a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Madrid. /Oscar Del Pozo/AFP
Experts have also suggested there could be a fear of needles among younger children.
But here in Madrid, according to Jose Luis Ruibal, paediatric director at the Hospital Infanta Cristina, the response has been positive.
"It's important to vaccinate them because kids are a reservoir for the virus to spread. It's important because we can reach herd immunity by vaccinating children. After that, it will be important to vaccinate kids from birth up till five years old," Ruibal said.
EMA approval
The European Medicines Agency approved the vaccination of children aged five and over last month, stating that the benefits of the program far outweigh any potential risks to their health.
Like adults, children will be given two jabs – they will be administered two months apart.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government has said it hopes this initiative will be a "new international success" for the country's vaccination campaign.
It remains to be seen just how many children will get vaccinated, but the early signs are promising.