Expert Recommends Coronavirus Jab For Small Children To Prevent Serious Illness
A Japanese pediatric expert is calling for small children to get vaccinated against the coronavirus to prevent serious illness. Japan is set to roll out vaccines for children aged six months to four years.
Niigata University Professor Saitoh Akihiko said clinical tests show that vaccines are effective in preventing coronavirus infection in this age group. Saitoh is a council member of the Japan Pediatric Society.
Saitoh said there is not enough data on how effective vaccines are in preventing serious illness. But he added that a vaccine's ability to prevent the onset of the infection suggests it is also effective in preventing small children from becoming seriously ill.
The professor said side effects, such as fever, are less frequent in children of this age group compared to adults, although a strict comparison is not possible.
He said that even when compared with children aged 5 to 11, the frequency of side effects is lower or about the same.
The spread of the Omicron variant this year led to an alarming increase in cases among children. Saitoh said the number of children who became seriously ill or died also rose, with cases involving infants accounting for about half of them.
Saitoh said it is difficult to take preventive measures for small children, including wearing face masks and washing hands. He said that vaccination is the only means of active prevention for this age group.