The Ministry of Health will soon begin targeted booster programs for the vulnerable and the willing, focusing on 12- to 18-year-olds through the school vaccination program.

Permanent Secretary Doctor James Fong says there is recent evidence that indicates an increased need to vaccinate children between 12 and 18 years of age to sustain community-wide protection.

Doctor Fong says they are also close to opening an avenue to get access to pediatric doses of vaccines.

The pediatric formulation of the Pfizer vaccine is used to vaccinate children between the ages of five and 11, which contains one-third of the adult dose.

He adds that as of yesterday, 14,394 children between the ages of 12 and 14 years are now fully vaccinated, while 23,309 have received the first dose.