No evidence that healthy children, adolescents need boosters shots: WHO

 


	Israel has already begun to give booster doses to its 12-year-old children.
	Even the FDA has authorized the third dose of  Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 12 to 15.


There is currently no evidence regarding the need to give COVID-19 booster doses to children and adolescents, WHO’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan mentioned during a news briefing.

Although the immunity offered by vaccines seems to decrease after a small period due to the rapid growth of the Omicron variant, more research will be needed before giving booster doses to anyone, especially for the safety of global citizens, Swaminathan claimed.

Speculations have it that WHO’s top scientists and experts will be attending a meeting in which they will be discussing how countries should consider giving booster shots to their respective populations. It is worth noting that some nations have already started giving vaccines to their young children.

For instance, Israel has already started providing booster doses to its 12-year-old age group. On the other hand, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the third dose of  Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children aged between 12 to 15.

Meanwhile, Germany became the latest country to give the COVID-19 booster shots to children between the 12 to 17 age group. Even Hungary has started following in Germany’s footsteps.

WHO intends to protect the most vulnerable, especially those who have a high risk of dying such as the elderly populations, Swaminathan added. Even the healthcare workers can be considered as also at high risk.

In similar developments, WHO has issued a video appeal on social media claiming that the Omicron variant should not be taken lightly. The health regulator has warned that there is a possibility of further mutations which could put vaccines' efficacy at risk.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-01-18/who-says-no-evidence-healthy-children-adolecents-need-covid-19-boosters