Following the recommendation of the National Institute of Public Health, the government decided. 16- and 17-year-olds (born 2004 and 2005) should be offered the Covid-19 vaccine.
The government has followed the NIPH recommendation and will include these years in the vaccination program.
New knowledge in the past six weeks reinforces the recommendation to offer vaccines to 16- and 17-year-olds
- Young people aged 16-17 have a low risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. This summer, as infections among young people and young adults increase, the number of young people at risk of becoming seriously ill could increase. The vaccine will protect the individual, give young people a more normal daily life and contribute to immunity in the population. Vaccination in this age group can also help to reduce the pressure on infection in society and thus reduce the number of infections among younger children, says Minister of Health and Welfare Bent Høie.
In early July, the FHI made a draft recommendation to offer vaccines to this age group. A little later, they wanted to make a new assessment with the current knowledge on youth vaccination. New knowledge in the past six weeks reinforces the recommendation to offer vaccines to 16 and 17 year olds, writes the FHI in response to an assignment.
Vaccination will take place at vaccination points in the municipalities
16 and 17 years of age will receive vaccination when the population over 18 years of age has been fully vaccinated. However, municipalities may, in special cases, give the vaccines to some 16-17 year-olds in advance. For example, young people who go to school abroad and are at a higher risk of contracting the infection. Due to complicated logistics and the fact that health nurses in schools will not be busy working with vaccinations. Vaccination will take place at vaccination points in the municipalities, as for the rest of the population. This is in line with the FHI recommendation.
The FHI recommendation is that Norwegian youth should in principle be offered the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine
There are currently two vaccines that have been approved for use in the 12-17 year old age group, Comirnaty's BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna Spikevax vaccine. The initial recommendation of the FHI is that Norwegian adolescents should in principle be offered the Pfizer vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for the longest time. In the United States alone, by August 15, 12 million 12-17-year-olds were vaccinated with the first dose and 9 million with the second. Moderna was approved for young people at the end of July 2021, so there is less experience with it. The FHI emphasizes, however, that vaccine studies show that vaccines are of equal effectiveness and safety.
An interval of 8 to 12 weeks is planned between doses 1 and 2
16- and 17-year-olds, just like adults, will be offered two doses of the vaccine. An interval of 8 to 12 weeks is planned between doses 1 and 2. There are two reasons for this.
- The main reason is that there is still limited knowledge about the rare but serious side effects of myocarditis after vaccination with mRNA vaccines. Carditis is reported mainly after the second dose. Before we give it to the young ones people in Norway second dose of the vaccine, we want even more knowledge about the risk and course of the disease as a result of the side effect of carditis. We will have this in the coming months as many countries vaccinate this age group. The Norwegian Medicines Agency is closely monitoring the vaccine's side effects, Høie says.
- The second reason is that the first dose offers good protection against serious illness and hospitalization, and that young people generally respond very well to vaccines. Recent studies have shown that a long break can provide better protection than a short break, also known from other vaccines.
If there is new knowledge, the dose interval can be shortened.
Young people can decide for themselves about vaccination
People are considered to be of legal age at the age of 16. Young people aged 16 and over can therefore decide for themselves whether they want to be vaccinated. If they are under the age of 16, those with parental responsibility (usually both parents) must consent to the vaccination. Much emphasis should be placed on what young people under 16 themselves think.
