(ORDO NEWS) — There is currently no evidence that healthy children and adolescents need additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Sumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, said Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, she said that although there has been some weakening of vaccine immunity over time against the rapidly spreading variant of the Omicron coronavirus, more research is needed to determine who needs booster doses.
“Right now there is no evidence that healthy children or severe adolescents need revaccination. No evidence at all,” she said, according to Reuters .
Israel began offering boosters to children as young as 12, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this month authorized a third dose of Pfizer and BioNTech‘s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.
Last week, Germany became the latest country to recommend that all children aged 12 to 17 get the COVID-19 vaccine. Hungary also did this.
Swaminathan said that a top panel of WHO experts will meet later this week to consider the specific question of how countries should consider introducing booster shots in their populations.
“The goal is to protect the most vulnerable, to protect those who are most at risk of severe illness and death. These are our elderly, immunocompromised people with serious illnesses, and healthcare workers,” she said.
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