Sweden has decided against recommending COVID-19 vaccines for kids aged five to 11, the Health Agency says, arguing that the benefits do not outweigh the risks.

“With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don’t see any clear benefit with vaccinating them,” Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm told a news conference on Thursday.

She added that the decision could be revisited if the research changed or if a new variant changed the pandemic. 

Children in high-risk groups can already get the vaccine.

Sweden registered more than 40,000 new cases on January 26, one of the highest daily numbers during the pandemic, despite limited testing. 

While the forth wave has resulted in daily infection records being shattered, the healthcare system is not under the same strain as during previous waves.

On Thursday 101 patients with COVID-19 required intensive care, well below the more than 400 patients during spring 2021. 

In total, nearly 16,000 people have died of COVID-19 in Sweden since the pandemic started.

Meanwhile, Sweden will lift pandemic restrictions next week despite high case numbers.

“It’s time to open Sweden up again,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a news conference.

“Looking ahead, infection rates will remain high for a while longer, but as far as we can judge, the worst consequences of the contagion are now behind us,” she said.

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