Pfizer jab for children aged over 12 is a 'promising idea', Melbourne doctor says

Children over 12 years of age receiving the Pfizer jab is a "promising idea", a leading Melbourne doctor has said.

Director of Emergency Medicine at the Royal Melbourne Hospital Professor Mark Putland told Today vaccinating kids under 18 would help prevent transmission to their parents and grandparents if they contracted COVID-19.

"We know the Pfizer jab reduces the transmission risk, even though kids under 18 usually do very well with COVID," he said.

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"Occasionally some do badly, but the bigger public health reason is they will spread it to their parents and grandparents, and families want to be together again as soon as they can and kids want to be at school."

Multiple countries around the world have started to vaccinating children against COVID-19, including Singapore, Japan and the US, with many other European countries set to extend their rollout scheme to kids aged between 12 and 18 this month.

Professor Putland said he would be keen to see his children vaccinated.

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"We have seen several other countries have already jumped on and are doing this," he said.

"I've got three big kids at home now, you know, really finding homeschooling very challenging. It is really tough on them. The sooner we can get back to that normality the better and vaccination is the only way to do it.

"It is promising, the safety data looks good. I would be keen to see my kids vaccinated."