Covid-19: Germany to vaccinate children over 12 from June 7

Germany will start giving Covid vaccine to children over the age of 12 from June 7, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.

The German government has stressed that vaccination would not be compulsory and would have no bearing on whether children can attend school or go on holiday.

"The main message to parents is: there will be no compulsory vaccinations," Merkel told reporters.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid jab for 12- to 15-year-olds on Friday. It is already authorised in the EU for those over 16.

Canada and the United States have already started vaccinating children above 12 years of age.