Monkey business: Antwerp zoo put kids at ease for virus jab

The Belgian city of Antwerp has put its faith in monkey business to put kids at ease for their first COVID-19 jab

Virus Outbreak Belgium Zoo (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Belgian city of Antwerp has put its faith in monkey business to put kids at ease for their first COVID-19 jab.

With the expansion of the country's vaccination campaign to include children as young as 5, Belgian authorities are getting creative as they try to prevent kids getting spooked by the sight of vials and needles.

Antwerp on Wednesday made use of one its greatest assets — the zoo in the center of town which is one of the finest in Europe

While adult vaccination centers focus on the conveyor belt principle to process as many people in as short a time as possible, it takes more patience with kids.

Close to the zoo's entrance, specially designed safari tents were set up, with photos of zoo animals. To distract them inside the tent, kids were given light pointers to seek out the animals they liked best while they got their shot.

If there was any pain, it quickly dissipated when they and their parents were allowed to stroll through the zoo's greenhouse and visit the monkey enclosure.