World Health Organization Updates COVID Vaccine Recommendations for Children

Healthy kids and teenagers considered low priority may not need to get a booster shot, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) revised global COVID-19 vaccination recommendations. 

This update is meant to preserve vaccines for those who are at high risk of severe infection or death. It is still recommended that high-risk groups receive a booster dose between 6 to 12 months after their last vaccine. 

The effect of the Omicron variant is at the forefront of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) reasoning for updating their strategy. The country has high immunity levels within the population due to vaccines and infections. 

High-risk groups, who are recommended to receive each booster dose six to 12 months after their last, are immunocompromised people of all ages, front-line health workers and pregnant people. 

Pediatric physician Dr. Kiran Bilal agrees with WHO’s recommendation of ensuring high-risk groups receive the COVID vaccine and all updated boosters ahead of lower-risk groups. 

“Those who are interested but underinsured or uninsured can always get the free vaccine from the health department,” said Bilal. 

From the CDC website, “There is no booster recommendation for children aged 6 months–4 years who got the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine primary series.” Dallas-based, Dr. Bilal recommends that high-risk children get vaccinated, as well as their family members. 

The Biden Administration will allow the COVID-19 public health emergency to expire in May, as officials believe the pandemic is near an end. 

“I think we're at a stage after the pandemic where everyone knows that numbers have gone down dramatically,” says AMT’s Community Health Education Director, Dr. Amir Khan. “Having said that, COVID-19 has emerged as a disease that we need to do more research on, we don't want to end up with another mutation, where we get caught off guard in treating the infection. I think as far as the political decisions are concerned, removing the emergency right now is a reasonable way forward.” 

Millions of Americans were able to receive free vaccines to reduce the virus from spreading as well as prevent hospitalizations, this will remain as long as the federally purchased supplies last. 

After a major spike during the winter months of more than 5 million weekly cases, COVID cases are on the decline at less than 150,000 weekly cases. The number of weekly deaths is also in decline, with half the number compared with the previous average - yet this still means around 2,000 people are still dying. 

“Too many people think the pandemic is over in terms of deaths yet we know that thousands are still dying from the illness,” said Khan. “This means that we need to remain vigilant and especially focus on ensuring vaccinations are being administered for those vulnerable groups, which includes a lot of the elderly patients that I see in my practice.” 

The need for COVID-19 booster shots is still being studied, as the effectiveness of the vaccines and the duration of protection they provide is the subject of ongoing monitoring. Some studies have shown that the protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines can decrease over time, especially against new variants of the virus. 

It is important to note that the COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death, even against the variants of the virus. Therefore, individuals who are fully vaccinated and not eligible for a booster shot should continue to follow public health guidelines, such as wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, and washing hands frequently to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

The CDC recommends that everyone stay up to date on their vaccines. COVID-19 vaccine dosage is based on age on the day of vaccination, not on size or weight. Children get a smaller dose of the COVID-19 vaccine than teens and adults.

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