Coronavirus Finland makes decisions on coronation vaccination of children in early December – THL’s Nohynek: “It is often the case that children are extra careful”

Finland will make decisions on coronary vaccination for 5-11 year olds probably in early December, says Chief Physician of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Secretary of the National Vaccination Expert Group (Krar) Hanna Nohy.

Krar and its child coroner vaccination subgroup, in which Nohynek is also involved, are due to submit their opinion on child vaccination to THL on the first day of December. On this basis, THL will present its own statement to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM), on which it would proceed as a proposal to the Government.

It is still too early to say what the recommendation will be. Alternatively, the vaccine may be recommended for all or some people aged 5 to 11, for example because of their risk, or wait for the time being.

If it would be decided to offer coronary vaccination to children, and the number and interval of doses should be decided.

“For example, in Norway and the UK, only one dose has been given to 12- to 15-year-olds so far,” says Nohynek.

In countries, a single dose is considered to provide adequate protection against serious illness in 12- to 15-year-olds. The second dose will be decided when more information is available on its safety.

Although The marketing authorization for vaccines has been granted for one week, in Finland the interval was first extended to 12 weeks and since then it has been possible to reduce it to six weeks.

The possible introduction of coronary vaccination of children in Finland is subject to both the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the EU marketing authorization. In addition, as concrete a thing as the availability of vaccines for children is affected. The granting of a marketing authorization could lead to a peak in demand in the EU.

The mother has announced that she has brought forward the processing of the marketing authorization for childhood vaccines so that the recommendation for the marketing authorization will be ready by the end of next week.

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With regard to the decision to vaccinate children, it is very important to find out the benefits of vaccination in relation to the disadvantages.

With worn out the week has been reported in schools, for example in Sipoo and In Helsinki, common infections. On Tuesday, the director of the Vaccine Research Center Mika Rämet stated to HSthat the decision to vaccinate children cannot be delayed.

“Schoolchildren need to be in school, and the virus will inevitably spread there as well. Possible vaccinations must be started at a time when the majority of the age group has not yet been exposed to the virus, ”Rämet said.

According to Hanna Nohynek, the key question in the debate on school infections is what vaccinations are intended to achieve.

“From Pfizer’s own research, we know that vaccination provides very good protection against a mild infection. However, there were no children in the study who were hospitalized for the corona. It is not yet known how long the vaccine will last in children aged 5 to 11 years, ”he says.

“It is assumed that as the protective effect of the vaccine decreases, transmission infections may occur. However, the majority of infections are mild. ”

It has been clear since the beginning of the epidemic that vaccination reduces infections but does not stop them completely. Just like an adult who has received a full series of vaccinations, a child can become infected and also transmit the virus further, albeit for a shorter time than an unvaccinated person.

“Another important question is what is the role of children in the chains of infection, ie whether children bring infections home and to those close to them, and what this means for making a vaccination recommendation.”

Junior with regard to the vaccination decision, it is very important to find out the benefits of vaccination in relation to the disadvantages, Nohynek emphasizes.

“There must always be clear evidence-based medical reasons for giving the vaccine,” he says.

“It is often the case that children are extra precise. Especially when it comes to giving the vaccine to healthy children who have a low risk of developing a serious illness. ”

According to THL’s data, only 0.3 per cent of children who tested positive for coronavirus PCR in Finland have been hospitalized and less than half of them have been less than a year old. One-third of children admitted to hospital have had a cause other than coronary heart disease.

According to Nohynek, if a child has been diagnosed with coronary artery disease or has been diagnosed with an infection, the six-month rule can be applied as in the case of an adult.

Instead, Nohynek does not recommend taking your child to an antibody test, for example, to detect any asymptomatic coronary heart disease.

“An antibody test tells only part of the immunity and can give a misleading impression as to whether or not vaccination is needed and is therefore not recommended when making a vaccination decision. ”

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