The Netherlands is to start inviting vaccinating children aged five to 11 in the week of January 25, public health institute RIVM has told news agency ANP.

The first appointments can be made from January 18, and parents will be invited to make a date for all their offspring at the same time, ANP said.

In total, 1.3 million children are eligible for the vaccination.

The cabinet took the decision to extend the vaccination programme to all younger children last month, following recommendations from the national health council Gezondheidsraad. Until then, the focus had been on children with underlying health problems.

The health council said that children will have direct and indirect benefits from being vaccinated. In particular, vaccination will slash the risk of possibly 100 to 150 children developing MIS-C, a serious multi-organ inflammatory syndrome, the council said.

Children aged five to 11 will be given one third of the adult vaccine dose.

Indirectly, vaccinating children will reduce the spread of the virus in schools, sports clubs and society in general, so allowing some restrictions to be eased, the council said.

Children will not, however, be required to show a coronavirus pass to enter events or a café, once the current strict measures are lifted.