VACCINATIONS FOR CHILDREN APPROVED

[Anchor Lead]

COVID-19 cases are surging among children 11 and younger, who are not eligible for vaccination yet. The government has approved a COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 in a bid to reduce infections.

[Pkg]

Last month, two PE teachers in Daegu contracted the coronavirus. The outbreak spread to three daycare centers, two kindergartens and three after school English academies, resulting in total of 360 cases. Most of the infected were young children. Children 11 and younger, who are not eligible for vaccination yet, are increasingly falling victim to mass outbreaks.

[Soundbite] Song Jong-keun(Yonsei Gomdori Pediatric Clinic) : "Children in this age group spend a lot of time in groups and cannot follow hygiene rules properly yet. That's why many of them contract the virus."

The number of cases among children 9 and younger has surged by 7.6 times in just a month. That's nearly 15 percent of all reported cases. The government has given the green light to administering the Pfizer vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11. They will receive two shots, three weeks apart. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety says no serious adverse or fatal effects including myocarditis or anaphylaxis have been reported among children in clinical trials. The vaccine is currently in use in 62 countries including the U.S. and EU nations. But it remains to be seen if immunizations will be able to alleviate parents' worries.

[Soundbite] (Parent of 5-year-old child(VOICE MODIFIED)) : "I'm worried about having my child jabbed. I personally didn't want to get vaccinated because of side effects."

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency says it's securing sufficient amount of vaccines for children and will announce the specific immunization plan next month.