The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has recently informed the central government that there is no need to vaccinate children against Covid-19 as the data shows no urgency. “India has not witnessed a single death among children below 12 years of age due to Covid-19. We have registered deaths among children due to cancer, leukaemia and other diseases where children tested positive, but those deaths cannot be attributed to Covid-19,” said NTAGI member Dr Jayaprakash Muliyil.
The statement triggered responses from health professionals, including demand for vaccination of children and others claiming that children have a robust immune response against the novel coronavirus. Some have said, the second wave led to a significant population acquiring naturally acquired immunity against the virus. Amid concerns over the new Omicron variant, experts have noted that the strain is a milder variant than Delta but have warned more study needs to be conducted.
Health experts have noted that since the virus is mutating, children will still be at risk for Covid-19 months even after completing their full vaccine schedule. “Vaccination is not the ultimate goal, and rather we should be aiming for herd immunity,” Dr Santosh Kumar, Consultant Neonatologist and Paediatrician, Motherhood Hospitals, Bangalore, told TOI.
“We have been seeing new strains since 2020 now, with every new strain and the adult population getting exposed, the children have started to develop immunity against all variants, be it alpha, beta or delta and now Omicron,” he added.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said children and adolescents are at lower risk of severe COVID-19 disease. “As children and adolescents tend to have the milder disease compared to adults unless they are in a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers,” the WHO said.
According to European data, Kumar noted the low number of Omicron-related deaths and cases and said children have become immune to it due to exposure. “we can probably wait for 6 months to 1 year until the population is exposed and develops immunity,” he was quoted as saying.
World Health Organization said evidence gathered so far suggests community transmission of Omicron doubles every 1.5 to three days. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “There is now consistent evidence that Omicron is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant. And it is more likely that people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 could be infected or reinfected.”
Experts have reiterated avoiding crowds, wearing masks, observing physical distance and regularly testing amid the festive season and have said vaccines are the best way to prevent severe disease and death.
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