Not all experts agree Covid vaccines are needed for children as young as five

Covid vaccines have been available for children as young as five in the US since late October, although some experts are still unsure if the shots are needed, and some countries abroad have bucked the trend growing in recommending vaccines to all young children.

This week, Swedish health officials refused to open vaccine eligibility for all children five or older, deciding instead to only allow vaccines to children under 11 who have a serious medical condition.

The UK has a similar policy to its Nordic counterpart, allowing all children aged 12 and over to be vaccinated, but only allowing children aged 5 to 11 to be vaccinated if they have a problem pre-existing health condition that puts them at serious risk.

In the wake of the Omicron As the variant increases across the world, many European countries have chosen to expand vaccine eligibility in an effort to control the variant.

However, many health officials disagree with the decision and a debate has sprung up over whether the injections are necessary.

Yet in places like New York, children need to be pushed to participate in certain activities at school and to do things like go to a restaurant or the movies.

Covid vaccines are being rolled out for children as young as five around the world, although many experts doubt the vaccines are necessary for people that young. Pictured: A young child in New York, New York, is injected with a COVID-19 vaccine on November 3

“With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk of severe disease for children, we see no clear benefit to vaccinating them,” Britta Bjorkholm, an official with the Swedish Health Agency, said during the interview. of a press conference on Friday.

Covid has shown little ability to cause much harm to healthy young children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that deaths of children under 12 represent a fraction of a percentage of those who have died from the virus in the United States

A to study carried out by researchers at the University of Utah last year found that 50% of cases in children are asymptomatic – and the study was carried out during the Delta surge, before the milder Omicron wave took hold relay.

These figures have prompted some to wonder why children should receive Covid vaccines.

Dr. Michael Kurilla (pictured), from the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, was the only member to abstain in the 17-0-1 FDA advisory committee vote to recommend approval of COVID vaccines -19 in children aged 5 to 11 years.

Dr. Michael Kurilla, director of the Division of Clinical Innovation, at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a member of the Food and Drug Administration, was the only Congressman to refrain from approving the shot for children ages 5 to 11 in October.

At the time, he told DailyMail.com that while he thought children with certain conditions that put them at high risk should get the vaccine, he was not sure if healthy children would. also need.

He was also concerned that the protection offered to children by the jab was rapidly diminishing and noted that previously infected children should already be sufficiently protected – even without the vaccine.

Kurilla also had concerns about the Pfizer study. He said the follow-up period of only two to three months potentially missed some longer-term side effects.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), and independent advisory board in the UK, believes that vaccines are only necessary for some young children.

“When providing advice regarding the vaccination of children, the JCVI has always maintained that the primary focus of its considerations should be the potential benefits and harms of vaccination for children and young people themselves,” wrote the JCVI last month.

“The benefits and risks of vaccination against Covid-19 in children and young people are finely balanced largely because the risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are very low.

“Of all age groups, children between the ages of five and 11 are at the lowest risk of severe COVID-19.”

There is also a risk of myocarditis, because the The CDC warns that young men in particular are at risk of developing the disease after receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Covid booster shots are also starting to be extended to minors.

In the United States and some European countries, children as young as 12 can receive a Covid booster shot five months after receiving the second shot of the initial vaccination schedule.

However, some health experts disagree with the prospect of giving their children an extra shot.

Dr Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, said Common sense that she is not considering having her two sons, aged 12 and 14, vaccinated, as the potential risks do not outweigh the benefits.

Dr Paul Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee also said he advised his son – who is in his 20s – to not receive the third vaccine.

He also said he would advise a healthy 17-year-old against getting it.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, and Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee, said the benefits of a booster shot for teenagers were outweighed by its possible side effects.

The World Health Organization’s chief scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, has also warned against stimulating children.

“There is no evidence that healthy children or adolescents need boosters. No evidence at all,” she said.

Despite this, children in the United States may still need to be vaccinated to participate in certain activities.

In New York, for example, a child as young as 12 must be fully vaccinated to participate in school activities, and children as young as five must show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants and gyms that do not. have no mask mandate. .

Health officials have hinted that the definition of “fully vaccinated” may soon change to also include booster shots, and it’s unclear how that would affect these types of mandates.