Vaccination of under-12s starts in handful of EU countries
By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece and a handful of other European Union members have started vaccinating children ages 5-11 against COVID-19 as governments brace for the spread of the omicron variant during the holiday season. An Athens children’s hospital administered its first shots to younger children hours after authorities announced Greece’s highest daily death of the pandemic. The children were given stickers and the day off school on Wednesday. Italy, Spain and Hungary also expanded their vaccination programs to younger children. European Union regulators last month approved a reduced-dose vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech for use in the 5-11 age group. Poland, Portugal, Croatia and Slovenia plan to lower their vaccine eligibility age later in the week.