The WHO Confirms Children at Low Risk for Severe COVID-19

The WHO issued an interim statement on COVID-19 vaccination for children and adolescents on November 24, 2021 that says 'Safety signals identified after widespread roll-outs of COVID-19 vaccines, such as myocarditis, albeit rare, are reported more frequently in young persons aged 16-24 years, particularly males.'

'And the risk of myocarditis in adolescents and/or children has not yet been determined.'

'Countries should consider the individual and population benefits of immunizing children and adolescents in their specific epidemiological and social context when developing their COVID-19 immunization policies and programs.'

'As children and adolescents tend to have the milder disease compared to adults unless they are in a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions, and health workers.'

'As a matter of global equity, as long as many parts of the world are facing extreme vaccine shortages, countries that have achieved high vaccine coverage in their high-risk populations should prioritize global sharing of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility before proceeding to vaccination of children and adolescents who are at low risk for severe disease.'

Additional COVID-19 vaccine information for young people is found on this webpage.