Italy began the process of vaccinating healthy children aged 5 to 11 on Thursday.
The country has already vaccinated more than 85 percent of children aged over 12. The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) approved vaccinations for those aged 5 to 11 on Dec. 1.
However, before Thursday, the only children in this age group who received the vaccine were those with underlying health issues that would make them more vulnerable to coronavirus.
Andrea Costa, under-secretary at the Ministry of Health, estimated on Dec. 1 that general vaccination of this age group would begin after Dec. 20, but in the end, the program got underway early.
The European Medicines Agency approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those aged under 12 on Nov. 25.
The dose administered to young children is a third of that given to adults; 10 micrograms compared to 30 micrograms. Two doses will be administered three weeks apart.
As of Thursday, more than 46 million people in Italy over the age of 12 had been fully vaccinated.