Covid-19: Decision to jab 12- to 15-year-olds coming in ‘not so distant future’, Ardern says – Stuff.co.nz

A decision on whether to vaccinate children as young as 12 against Covid-19 will come in the not so distant future, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden says.

Medsafe approved the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as 12 in June but the Government has not said whether they will be included in the roll-out.

But when asked on Monday whether young people aged 12 and over would need to be offered the vaccine before border restrictions eased, Arden said only those as young as 16 had been included in the plans.

We didnt bank in any of our assumptions the idea of vaccinating anyone else who had not been approved, she said in a post-Cabinet media conference.

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Whether children younger than 12 will be vaccinated is yet to be decided. (File photo)

When it comes to children, decisions there will be based on evidence and advice around children. We have an expectation we will be able to share those views in the not so distant future.

The Government would also look at how young adults were prone to spread the virus, citing evidence the Australian government used for its pathway out of the pandemic from the Doherty Institute.

The research found vaccinating younger people was key to stopping the virus spreading and the most effective strategy to slow down outbreaks.

Their suggestion was that young adults are a particular focus because they do seem to be a point of transmission in Australia, she said.

It will be important for us to look across each age cohort, not just the most vulnerable but those who may be a risk to the most vulnerable because they are a point of transmission.

New Zealands elimination strategy should continue to protect children not yet eligible for vaccination as the borders are eased, she added.

Amanda Kvalsvig, a senior research fellow in the department of public health at the University of Otago, on Friday urged officials to plan to vaccinate children as young as 12 right away fearing their inoculation could be delayed by up to six months because of school holidays while the threat of Delta remained.

But Ardern said officials were likely to take a family approach and not focus solely on vaccinating at schools.

Our decision will be absolutely based on the advice of experts and we are not going to make a decision that is solely about whether it improves the logistics or ease of our roll-out. That is not our consideration, she said.

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Covid-19: Decision to jab 12- to 15-year-olds coming in 'not so distant future', Ardern says - Stuff.co.nz