South Africa starts vaccinations for those aged 12 to 17

South Africa has started giving COVID-19 vaccinations to adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years, with a goal of inoculating at least 6 million people from this age group

JOHANNESBURG -- South Africa has started giving COVID-19 vaccinations to adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years, with a goal of inoculating at least 6 million people from this age group.

The country is trying to increase its rate of vaccinations which is running behind the target of 300,000 daily shots. Currently, South Africa is administering about 185,000 doses per day.

The move is in line with decisions in other countries including Britain, the U.S., Canada, France and Germany, who all began offering COVID-19 vaccines to teens and even younger children months ago. Although adolescents are less likely to suffer severe effects of the coronavirus, many health officials say it's important to vaccinate them to keep schools open and to prevent them from becoming a reservoir for the virus as the adult populations are immunized.

South Africa will be giving just one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the young age group, according to recommendations from the committee which advises the government on its COVID-19 strategy.