In SA there is a case for the expedited vaccination of children with underlying conditions and older teens and adolescents based on burden of cases and hospitalisations.
the lower risk of disease and the need to prioritise the elderly; limited information on the efficacy and safety of the vaccines in children; and limited number of vaccines licensed for use in children.
Some countries in Europe and North America have opened up vaccination to children 12-16 although coverage in this age group is low. As more children are vaccinated in these countries, more data on side- effects and effectiveness will be collected and many lessons to inform rollout in SA will be learnt.
Until then the onus is on everyone to ensure vaccination of adults around children to achieve herd immunity, and adherence to non-pharmaceutical intervention to reduce transmission in the community and spillover into schools.Tendesayi Kufa-Chakezha: epidemiologist and public health specialist, National Institute for Communicable Diseases ;Sibongile Walaza: medical epidemiologist at the NICD and lecturer at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand.
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