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Children aged 5 to 11 will be able to get the covid vaccine in Jersey from this week.
Appointments will be available at the Fort Regent vaccination centre from Saturday.
They will be offered two doses of a paediatric version of the Pfizer vaccine, at least 12 weeks apart.
The jab had already been offered to at-risk children in this age group, but Saturday will be the first time it has been offered to all other children, from the UK's key vaccine authority.
Dr Ivan Muscat MBE, the Deputy Medical Officer of Health, explained that the vaccines had been deemed "safe and effective" for children following "rigorous views" by authorities including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Federal and Drug Administration (FDA), and Health Canada.
"Although children are generally at a lower risk of serious illness from the virus, a small number of children who do get infected go on to develop severe illness," he said.
"The latest evidence suggests that offering the vaccine ahead of another potential wave will protect that small number of children from serious illness while also protecting many children from the impacts of milder infection.
"Vaccinating your child now against covid-19 will provide protection for any future waves of infection, the more severe a future wave, the greater the likely benefits from vaccination."
Head of the Vaccination Programme, Emma Baker, said that the Vaccination Centre at Fort Regent was being adapted to make it child-friendly, with a separate entrance and area for children.
Parents and carers will be able to book up to three children for a vaccination appointment at the same time online, or they can book for more than three children at the same time by calling the Coronavirus Helpline on 0800 735 5566.
They will be mailed consent forms which they will need to print out and sign to bring to their child's appointment. Anyone without printer access can get a copy of the form from Fort Regent and complete it in the café.
Parents and carers must also bring a form of photographic ID for themselves and photographic ID or a birth certificate for their child.
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