MADRID (AFP) - Spain said on Friday (June 4) it wants to offer Covid-19 vaccines to everyone aged between 12 and 17 before the start of the new school year in September.

Health Minister Carolina Darias told public television TVE the government will propose the measure to the public health commission, which then must approve the move.

The plan is to immunise 12- to 17-year-olds "about two weeks before" the start of the new school year in September, she said.

The European Medicines Agency approved the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus jab for 12- to 15-year-olds last week, the first vaccine to get the green light for children in the European Union.

France announced on Wednesday it will start offering Covid-19 vaccines to all 12- to 18-year-olds from June 15.

Italy on Thursday opened vaccinations for everybody over the age of 12, while Germany has also said vaccinations will be offered to children over the age of 12.

Spain, a nation of around 47 million people, is one of the European countries hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than 80,000 Covid-19 deaths recorded so far.

The country plans to have 70 per cent of its population fully vaccinated by the end of summer.

Just over one in five people, or 21 per cent, has been fully vaccinated while 39.5 per cent have received at least one dose.