Starting from today, 16 and 17-year-olds living in Belgium can register to get vaccinated via the Qvax reserve list.
According to Belgium's vaccination campaign, 16 and 17-year-olds will not be vaccinated until all adults have received their first shot, but by signing up for the Qvax reserve list, they can get their vaccine sooner.
"It is going very fast at the moment. The invitations for the people in their thirties are out the door, so the people in their twenties, but also the 16- and 17-year-olds are at the top of the reserve list," said Flemish Welfare Minister Wouter Beke.
The authorities expect there to be several vaccines leftover in the coming weeks, because some people will go on holiday first and only get vaccinated afterwards.
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"It is important that we make optimal use of the vaccines that are released and that we do not end up with surpluses," said Beke.
"We also hear from the vaccination centres that the reserve list is gradually drying up. Last week, there were 130,000 people on the list, but 25,000 of them were also vaccinated that week," he added.
When the teens will be invited exactly will depend on the vaccination centre, and the vaccine supplies, but 16 and 17-year-olds with underlying conditions are already being invited.
Additionally, they will all be vaccinated with Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, as it is currently the only one approved for under-18s.
Also from today, people between the ages of 18 and 41 who want to get vaccinated as soon as possible can indicate that they are willing to get vaccinated with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, when registering on the Qvax list.
