Sofia, December 21 (BTA) - The COVID-19 vaccines for children will be administered at 68 sites across Bulgaria, Chief Health Inspector Angel Kunchev told journalists here on Tuesday. The vaccine, which has already been delivered to Bulgaria, s designated for children between the ages of 5 and 11. Additional vaccination sites will be opened if there is increased demand from parents.

The pediatric vaccine is with an altered antigen composition and contains three times less micrograms of the active ingredient, Kunchev explained. It has the same effect as the one used on adults, he said. The vials contain ten doses each, which will require that ten children are signed up before a vial is opened. That is the reason vaccines for children will be administered at specially designated sites, Kunchev said.
He advised parents who wish to have their children vaccinated to schedule an appointment.

The vaccine for children is administered the same way as the one for adults - it is injected in the arm. A possible booster dose for children is still not a topic of discussion, as more data is needed, Kunchev said.

Children in Sofia can be vaccinated at the Pirogov Emergency Hospital, the St. Anna Hospital, the Prof. Ivan Mitev Children's Hospital and Sofiamed Hospital, said the head of the Infectious Disease Supervision department with the Health Ministry, Dr. Kremena Parmakova. Prior to vaccination, parents will be asked about the child's general health condition, followed by a medical exam by a pediatrician, she said.

The other sites where children can be vaccinated will be announced on the regional health inspectorates' websites. There are plans to organize vaccinations outside regional cities as well. The child will be issued a certificate after their vaccination is completed, Parmakova further said.

Consent will not be required from both parents, but only from the one who takes the child to get vaccinated, she said.

The COVID-19 vaccines for children arrived in Bulgaria on Monday, 18,000 of which are in Sofia and 12,000 have been sent to each regional health inspectorate in Plovdiv (South Bulgaria) and in Veliko Turnovo (North-central Bulgaria).

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There is currently a surplus of COVID-19 vaccines in Bulgaria and no vaccines have been requested from Novavax, whose vaccine was recently approved by the European Commission, the head of the Bulgarian Drug Agency, Bogdan Kirilov, told journalists.

Limited supplies are expected in the first months of 2022, as Bulgaria has enough vaccines right now. Analyses are currently being carried out and if a need for vaccines is established, the possibility of getting the Novavax vaccine will be discussed. Bulgaria has guaranteed a portfolio of all vaccine categories available in the EU, he said.

The vaccines that are expiring soon will be destroyed and the exact number will become clear next week, as interest in vaccination has increased and fewer vaccines will expire than initially expected, Kirilov explained.

A total of 18 million vaccine doses have been administered across the EU to people under 18 years of age as of the end of November, Kirilov explained. If the vaccines administered among the same age group in the US, Canada and Israel are added, this will provide a very good scientific picture, which is constantly being analysed by leading experts in the EU and will give additional guarantees for the safety data's reliability, he added.

The health care authorities are considering reducing the six-month timeframe between the second and booster jab for adults, Angel Kunchev said. The situation with the Omicron variant necessitates reducing this timeframe, which will not be less than two months. An expert council is to meet and make such a decision, Kunchev said. MY/