World Health Organization says healthy kids and teens don’t need Covid vaccinations

The World Health Organization (WHO) revised its Covid vaccine recommendations and suggested that healthy children and adolescents may not need a shot.

In guidance released Tuesday, the global health agency deemed healthy children and adolescents ‘low priority’ for Covid jabs. 

It said the public health impact of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents is ‘much lower than the established benefits of traditional essential vaccines for children’ like measles and polio. 

The WHO urged countries to consider the fact young people are unlikely to get severely sick with Covid before recommending vaccination.

Meanwhile, the WHO is looking at adding obesity drugs to its ‘essential’ medicines list.

The WHO also called for urgent efforts to catch up on on routine vaccinations missed during the pandemic

It said the Covid vaccines and boosters were safe for all ages, but the guidelines took into account other factors like cost-effectiveness. 

These are defined as older adults and children with immunocompromising conditions, are recommended to get a booster dose between six and 12 months after their last vaccine.

SAGE Chair Dr Hanna Nohynek said: ‘Countries should consider their specific context in deciding whether to continue vaccinating low risk groups, like healthy children and adolescents, while not compromising the routine vaccines that are so crucial for the health and well-being of this age group.’

The committee also called for urgent efforts to catch up on on routine vaccinations missed during the pandemic and warned of a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in November that a  record high of almost 40 million children missed their measles vaccine in 2021.

The vaccination coverage for measles — one of the most contagious human viruses yet totally preventable — has been consistently dropping due since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Misinformation linked to Covid vaccines has also led to swathes of parents rejecting normal childhood shots, despite immunizations being the most effective way to protect children from measles.

Last month, the CDC also officially added Covid shots to the list of routine immunizations for kids and adults.

It put a two or three-dose primary series of the Covid vaccine and a booster for people over the age of 19 on the schedule, and the same for children over six months. 

Officials said the move would ‘normalize’ the vaccine and ‘send a powerful message’ that everyone over six should stay up to date with their Covid vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented the move after independent vaccine advisors proposed the changes.

It means the shot is in the same category as vaccines for diseases such as polio, measles and hepatitis B.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are considering switching the Covid vaccine rollout to a yearly schedule similar to the flu shot program.