Quantcast
Norway to offer 16- and 17-year-olds COVID-19 vaccine, government says – Metro US

Norway to offer 16- and 17-year-olds COVID-19 vaccine, government says

FILE PHOTO: People walk on the street in Oslo
FILE PHOTO: People walk on the street in Oslo

OSLO (Reuters) – Norway will offer all 16- and 17-year-olds their first COVID-19 vaccine dose after those over 18 are fully vaccinated, the government said on Wednesday.

The vaccinations for this group could start within a few weeks, Camilla Stoltenberg, the head of the Norwegian Institute Public Health, told broadcaster NRK.

Almost 88% of those over 18 in Norway have now received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 53.5% of those are fully vaccinated, the institute said on its website.

Adults above the age of 18 are expected to complete their vaccinations during the first two weeks of September, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said last week.

Norway ended some restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic last week, but stopped short of announcing a full reopening of the economy until early September.

(Reporting by Victoria Klesty, editing by Nerijus Adomaitis and Gareth Jones)