WHO says no evidence healthy children, adolescents need COVID-19 boosters

Persons pose with syringe with needle in front of displayed Planet Wellness Organization (WHO) logo, in this illustration taken December 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Jan 18 (Reuters) – There is no evidence at present that nutritious kids and adolescents need booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the Earth Overall health Organization’s main scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a information briefing, she stated that when there seems to be some waning of vaccine immunity around time versus the speedily spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus, far more study needs to be carried out to verify who requires booster doses.

“There is no proof correct now that healthier children or wholesome adolescents require boosters. No evidence at all,” she said.

Israel has begun featuring boosters to youngsters as youthful as 12, and the U.S. States Meals and Drug Administration before this month approved the use of a 3rd dose of the Pfizer (PFE.N) and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for small children aged 12 to 15.

Previous week Germany became the latest country to propose that all young children amongst ages of 12 and 17 obtain a COVID-19 booster shot. Hungary has also done so.

Swaminathan claimed the WHO’s top rated group of industry experts would meet up with later this 7 days to contemplate the precise question of how countries must look at providing boosters to their populations.

“The intention is to shield the most susceptible, to guard individuals at maximum threat of severe sickness and dying. Those people are our elderly populations, immuno-compromised persons with fundamental circumstances, but also health care workers,” she mentioned.

(This Jan 18 tale corrects to say ‘healthy’ not ‘heavy’ in paragraph 3.)

Reporting by Mrinalika Roy and Manas Mishra
Editing by Mark Heinrich

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