Children between the ages of 5 and 11 have been able to receive a corona vaccination from December 2021. The Health Council thought it was a good idea at the time because a vaccine can protect against MIS-C, a rare condition children can get when they are first infected with corona.
Meanwhile, 3% of children in that age group got the vaccine. Meanwhile, the vast majority of children have suffered a corona infection, the council now says. MIS-C is almost non-existent with a second or subsequent infection.
“Use is restricted”
Also, the risk of the condition is lower with the omikron variant of the virus, which now causes almost all infections. All in all, according to the Health Council, the usefulness of a vaccination in children of this age group is ‘limited’.
Children with, for example, a heart condition, an immune disorder, a lung condition, diabetes or obesity benefit from a coronary shot. They are more vulnerable and vaccination “may reduce the risk of being hospitalised”, says the Health Council.
The new advice also applies to re-vaccination: according to the advice, children who have already received their first corona injections should only be asked to be re-vaccinated if they belong to a risk group.
Vulnerable roommate
If parents have another reason for a child to be vaccinated without an increased medical risk, this should still be possible, advises the Council. This may be the case, for example, if people fear that the child might infect a vulnerable roommate.
The Ministry of Health must make a decision on the advice of the Health Council. The ministry says it is now reviewing the advice and will provide a substantive response later.
The number of corona patients in hospital continues to decrease
Hospitals are now treating 664 people who have the coronavirus. For the first time since Dec. 23, almost three weeks ago, employment fell below 700. Since last Tuesday, the number of hospitalized corona patients has dropped by 155, reports the National Coordination Center for Patient Distribution (LCPS).
The coordination center expects a further decrease in the number of patients in the nursing wards in the coming weeks. At best, occupancy could be less than 500. The number of corona patients in ICs will likely remain stable at around forty.
