MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. Over 570,000 cases of the coronavirus infection among children under 17 have been recorded in Russia since the beginning of 2021, Russian Deputy Health Minister Oleg Salagay said on Thursday.
"In 2021, the Russian Federation, according to statistics, registered over 570,000 cases of COVID in children under 17 years of age, which amounts to approximately 9.5% of all COVID cases during this period," he said at an expanded session of the State Duma Committee on Family Affairs, Women and Children.
As the official reiterated, a vaccine for children aged 12-17 had already been certified. That being said, vaccination is completely voluntary. "We, of course, proceed from the necessity of ensuring accessibility, but inoculation, undoubtedly, is voluntary and should be based, above all, on parental consent," he noted.