It is not true that the WHO (World Health Organization) has published a guide that advises against vaccinating healthy children and adolescents against Covid-19. Publications making this claim take out of context guidelines issued by an entity committee for countries to prioritize immunization of high-risk groups, such as the elderly and people with comorbidities, and assess local reality before vaccinating healthy children and adolescents. WHO considers immunizers safe and effective.
The publications distorting the statement had 31,000 likes on Instagram this Friday (31) and are also circulating on Telegram.
Covid vaccines are unnecessary for healthy children and adolescents, says the World Health Organization
Posts circulating on the networks distort a wise guide, WHO’s Strategic Committee of Immunization Specialists, to say that the body says there is no longer a need to vaccinate healthy children and adolescents against Covid-19. The published guidelines, however, only recommend that countries prioritize immunization of high-risk groups and assess local realities before immunizing young people with no ill health. According to the agency, vaccines against Sars-CoV-2 are safe and effective.
After meetings held between days March 20 and 23Sage released a statement that classified the population into three risk categories:
- High: elderly (over 60 years), people with immunocompromise or with comorbidities, such as diabetes and heart disease (including children from six months of age), pregnant women and healthcare workers;
- Average: healthy adults (under 60 years) and children with comorbidities that do not increase the risk in case of SARS-CoV-2 infection;
- Bass: Healthy children and adolescents aged six months to 17 years.
For people in the high-risk group and frontline healthcare workers, two primary doses and booster doses are recommended every six to 12 months, depending on age and health condition. For the medium-risk group, the recommendation is two primary doses and only one booster dose.
Regarding the low-risk group, the committee acknowledges the benefits of the vaccination programme, but recommends that countries consider factors such as disease risks and cost-effectiveness before deciding whether or not to vaccinate people.
In the statement, Sage believes there is currently a high level of immunity in the general population against COVID-19 and that the world-predominant Omicron variant does not cause serious infections in the majority of cases. It would also be important to guarantee the supply of vaccines to the population most at risk of contracting the disease.
Contacted by to the facts, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Renato Kfouri, vice president of SBIM (Brazilian Vaccination Society) and member of Sage, stressed that statistics on Covid-19 in Brazil make vaccination necessary for children and adolescents. “Brazil has one of the highest infant mortality rates from Covid-19 in the world. The risk of a child dying in Brazil is ten to 15 times greater than in countries such as the United States and England.”
Biomedical doctor Mellanie Fontes-Dutra points out that studies are still needed to understand the extent of post-Covid sequelae and the role of vaccines and booster doses on long-term Covid.
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Source: Terra
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