There is not enough evidence to justify vaccinating children against COVID because they are “less infectious than adults” and their risk of contracting the virus is “extremely low,” a government adviser told Sky News on vaccines.
On Monday, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) recommended that children between 12 and 15 years old should only receive a jab if they are clinically vulnerable or live with someone who is.
The decision was made because there is not yet enough evidence to suggest the benefits of coronavirus vaccines outweigh the risks to children, said Adam Finn.
Professor Finn, a JCVI member and pediatric expert at the University of Bristol, told Kay Burley it’s because children are “less contagious” than adults and are at risk of becoming seriously ill from it. of COVID are very low.
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“The risk to children is extremely low,” he said.
“Unlike other viruses, like the flu, children get less sick and they are less contagious than adults.
“Along with other viruses there are big outbreaks in schools spreading across the population, while in UK schools so far infection rates [of COVID] tend to reflect the wider infection rate in the community around them. “
Asked about the idea of vaccinating children to prevent them from being “super-spreaders” of the virus, he added: “We cannot vaccinate children just for the sake of adults, if it does not benefit children. themselves”.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi told the House of Commons on Monday that JCVI recommends that children aged 12 to 15 be offered a vaccine if they have severe neurological conditions, Down’s syndrome, multiple disorders. severe learning or are immunocompromised.
If they live with an immunocompromised person, they can also receive the vaccine, he said.
Currently, 16 to 18 year olds are offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine if they…
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-20 06:32:00
