Sweden has decided not to recommend covid-19 vaccines for children aged five to 11, says the health authority and claims that the benefits do not outweigh the risks.

“With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk of serious diseases for children, we see no clear advantage in vaccinating them,” said Britta Björkholm, health authority official, at a press conference on Thursday.

She added that the decision could be reconsidered if the research changed or if a new variant changed the pandemic.

Children in high-risk groups can already receive the vaccine.

Sweden registered more than 40,000 new cases on January 26, one of the highest daily figures during the pandemic, despite limited tests.

While the fourth wave has resulted in daily infection registers being broken, healthcare is not under the same strain as during previous waves.

On Thursday, 101 patients with covid-19 needed intensive care, well below the more than 400 patients in the spring of 2021.

In total, almost 16,000 people have died of covid-19 in Sweden since the pandemic started.

The Swedish government on Wednesday extended the restrictions, which included limited opening hours for restaurants and a visiting ceiling for indoor premises, for two weeks, but said they hope to be able to remove them on 9 February.

Australian Associated Press