‘Understandable’ that young want vaccine

The aim of the vaccine is to reduce morbidity and mortality for Covid patients.

Priority is given to front line health workers, the older generations and those who are clinically vulnerable.

The second phase of the vaccine roll-out is being administered in descending age order.

‘I think we will get to whole-population immunisation, but going back to our experience in the first wave compared to the second where we had [13 deaths versus one death, respectively], we need to immunise those people that clinically need it.

‘But I absolutely understand the frustrations of younger people.’

Phase three of the vaccination programme would be the vaccination of children.

‘No one has even thought of mapping that out because studies of vaccinating children are still going on,’ said Dr Brink.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is licensed for use only for people aged 18 or over, whereas the Pfizer vaccine can be administered to people as young as 16.

With regard to young children, Dr Brink held the opinion that children should be vaccinated in a safe way.

‘If you don’t, the virus will keep circulating in that group and you’ll get continued mutations appearing,’ she said.

Logistical issues of how it would be administered would need to be ironed out. The challenge is that it is an injected vaccine and consideration will have to be given as to what the vaccine would look like for children.

For example, the flu vaccine is given to children nasally.

Dr Brink said she was very interested to see the results of the child immunisation studies that were ongoing.