MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. There are no grounds to speak about the necessity of mass vaccination of children against the novel coronavirus infection even after a corresponding vaccine is certified, Rinat Maksyutov, director of the Vector State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology, said on Sunday.

"I don’t think there are any grounds to say that after the completion of clinical tests it is necessary to begin mass vaccination of children. In general, children typically have milder forms of the disease in any case," he said, adding however that nevertheless it is principally important to have an instrument for protecting children from COVID-19. "New coronavirus variants may turn to be more dangerous for children, who may be more exposed to them," he said.

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said earlier that it was not planned to impose obligatory vaccination of children against the coronavirus infection.