The EU rules on digital Covid certificates should remain in force due to the ongoing pandemic.

Representatives of the European Parliament and the governments of the EU states agreed on Monday evening to extend the relevant regulation by one year until June 30, 2023, as announced by the current French EU Council Presidency.

The certificates are intended to make traveling as uncomplicated as possible in Corona times.

Using a QR code, they can be used to prove whether you have either been vaccinated against Covid-19, tested negative for Corona or have recovered from Corona.

The digital version can be stored on a mobile device, but there is usually also the option of creating a paper version.

Vaccine for children under the age of five

The EU Commission had already proposed extending the EU rules for certificates in February.

She justified this by saying that the corona virus is still widespread in Europe and the effects of a possible increase in infections in the second half of 2022 or the appearance of new variants are difficult to predict.

The extension of the regulation would allow travelers to continue using their EU Covid digital certificate if member states maintain certain public health measures.

The EU agency for disease prevention (ECDC) warns of the two new subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 of the omicron virus strain.

The variants would spread faster than other subtypes in Europe, the authority explains.

Apparently, BA.4 and BA.5 do not pose a higher risk of serious illness than other omicron forms.

However, there is a risk that an increase in the number of cases alone due to higher transmission rates will lead to higher numbers in clinics and deaths.

Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed the safety and effectiveness of Biontech/Pfizer's corona vaccine for children aged six months to four years.

The evaluation of the data from a study did not reveal any safety concerns in connection with the use of the vaccine in young children, writes the FDA.

According to an initial analysis, the effectiveness of the vaccine in this age group is 80.3 percent.

The US government anticipates that vaccinations for young children can begin as early as next week once the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have approved the first vaccines.

Moderna's vaccine was also deemed safe and effective for the age group by the FDA on Friday.

Three vaccine doses are planned for the children's vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer, and two for Moderna.

So far, there is no corona vaccine approved for babies and small children in the USA - as in Europe.