Many children were admitted because their parents were seriously ill and in hospital and the children had nowhere to go, with special family wards established in some hospitals to accommodate this.īut as older age groups increasingly become vaccinated, school-age children now account for an increasing proportion of cases and hospitalisations overseas, compared with earlier in the pandemic. Not all of that 2% were seriously unwell, the report found.
But children are highly likely to spread the virus to members of their household if they do become infected, leading to transmission beyond the school.ĭata published by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance found most children diagnosed with the Delta variant experienced mild or no symptoms, with only 2% requiring hospitalisation. It is true that serious symptoms and complications from Covid-19 in unvaccinated children are extremely rare, and transmission between children in schools is low. So what do we know about vaccinating young children, and what happens next? Vaccinating children protects others
The drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has also approved the jab for this age group after reviewing the available evidence. Children aged five to 11 can be vaccinated against Covid-19 from 10 January, making about 2.3 million additional Australians eligible for the jabs.Īn independent group of medical, scientific and consumer experts known as the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommended this age group receive the Pizer vaccine at one-third of the dosage given to those aged 12 years and over.