COVID-19 vaccines are effective against severe cases of the disease in children and adolescents, according to a review.
Reviewed by Megan Craig, M.Sc.Aug 21 2023 However, with most children now having caught the SARS-CoV-2 virus and building up a natural immunity, the additional benefit of vaccination in healthy children is minimal.
Building on recent Murdoch Children's-led research that found that two-thirds of children with COVID-19 who attended hospital in the first two years of the pandemic did not require medical intervention, this review reported that despite most children having been infected and severe infection could occur, deaths were extremely rare in children. Globally, 16,100 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in those up to 19 years old.
The review highlighted that although COVID-19 vaccinations in children were effective at the time they were tested, the benefits were lower in the current context of high infection-derived immunity. The extra gain was also much lower compared to other life-saving vaccines in low- and middle-income countries, where childhood deaths from other vaccine preventable diseases were considerably higher.
"Given the very high prevalence of risk factors for severe COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries, vaccination against COVID-19 is an important consideration in all age groups, including children," he said. However, decisions should be made considering the direct benefits to the individual child, not broader benefits to the household or community related to transmission, particularly as the effectiveness of the vaccines against infection is temporary.
Danmark Seneste Nyt, Danmark Overskrifter
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