Children aged 12 and over in Wales could be vaccinated against coronavirus later this year, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
Pfizer has had its vaccination authorised for 12 to 15 year olds in America, and it is applying to do the same in the UK. Clinical studies have shown the vaccine was safe and effective among 12-18 year olds.
Mr Drakeford has confirmed it is likely the Welsh Government would want to roll out jabs for children if licences were granted.
Speaking to ITV Wales' Sharp End programme, he said: "Some of the forms of vaccination are now beginning to get a licence for children as early as the age of 12. So we're watching that very carefully
"If there is a vaccine that gets that licence for use here in Wales, then I think we are very likely to want to take advantage of that.
"It may be that you know later this year, even, we will be able to have a programme in our secondary schools offering those young people a vaccination which would make schools even safer than they are now."
He said it might enable them to lift some of the restrictions like having to wear masks in classrooms all the time.
The Welsh Government said it is awaiting advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on immunising children aged between 12 and 15.
It comes as a Welsh health board has confirmed it has arranged Covid vaccine appointments for i ts entire adult population.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said letters should be arriving by the end of this week to those over 18 who have not yet had their first dose.
On Sunday, Wales reached the impressive milestone of vaccinating two million adults against coronavirus. Some 2,035,905 over 18s have now received their first dose and 927,215 the full course. The latest vaccine figures are here.
The World Health Organisation, however, is asking countries to postpone vaccinating young people and donate some of the vaccine to countries where there is a shortfall of doses.
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Spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris told BBC Radio Wales on Wednesday: "Ultimately, we will want to be vaccinating everyone in our population, everybody will want to be vaccinated and it is good news we now know there are vaccines that are safe to use in children.
"But at the the moment they are in a very low risk group, unless they have an underlying health condition. There is such a shortage of supply in the world. We are 190 million doses short projected for June, so we are saying, just wait, if you have got such surplus look to donating doses so that you can stop the pandemic that is raging in so many countries."
