Just a matter of time?
According to HSE chief Paul Reid, Ireland will begin vaccinating children against COVID as soon as the HSE gets the green light from NIAC.
In an interview with Newstalk earlier today, Reid explains that the National Immunisation Advisory Group (NIAC) has now been considering whether to recommend child vaccination for a number of weeks, and that the HSE was ready to put the advice into action as soon as NIAC reaches a decision.
“First of all, we are waiting for recommendations from NIAC in terms of recommendations for 12 to 15-year-olds and how and when they should be administered,” he stated.
“Once we receive that advice, we will immediately put that into action – whether that is before schools return or post-schools return – we are looking at all options and from a HSE perspective, we will execute that once the advice comes.”
Infrastructure in place already
Reid explains that the infrastructure put in place for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout could be used to vaccinated children against other ailments.
“We are looking at our whole vaccination programme because, even beyond the COVID vaccines, there is a whole range of vaccines we want to administer during summer and post-summer as well in terms of younger people,” he said.
“So, we are looking at all options for the vaccination of younger people – including vaccination centres, pharmacies, schools programmes and GPs.
“We have a really good model running now and we are looking at all options to continue that down through the ages.”
Statistically, although children can get infected with COVID-19, the reality is that very few develop severe symptoms.
Nearly 34,000 COVID cases were detected in children between March and April this year; however, just 18 were admitted to ICU and all were discharged.
It is important to note that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that there is ‘no justification’ for vaccinating children in richer countries while poorer struggle to access supply.
