They spend the whole day at school and play together. Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, children and young people have been the focus of attention again and again. Although they are less likely to get seriously ill with corona, they pass the virus on.
Figures from Germany show that the children there are becoming more infected again, as the «Spiegel» reports. “The 7-day incidence is currently very high, especially among 10 to 19-year-olds: it is over 500 in eight districts,” said the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) via Twitter.
In Switzerland, too, the virus is currently most prevalent among 10 to 19-year-olds. The BAG announced this this week. In Germany, the RKI did not provide any information on the reasons for the high numbers. But the fact is that in Germany 636 children have been infected at school in the last four weeks.
Little is known about long-term effects
It has been established for some time that infections are on the rise, especially in children from school age and in adolescents. Daycare centers and schools therefore regularly carry out corona tests.
The many infections could be due to the fact that the corona vaccines have only been approved for ages twelve and up and the vaccination rate for 12 to 17-year-olds is much lower than for adults.
Even if children and adolescents are less likely to get seriously ill with corona than older people, little is known about the long-term consequences of the disease. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) therefore recommends corona vaccination from the age of twelve.
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Vaccination for children under twelve could soon be available
The vaccine has not yet been approved for younger children because there are no study data for this age group. Studies are currently underway at BionTech / Pfizer that give hope for approval soon.
Study participants aged five to eleven tolerated the vaccine well, according to BionTech / Pfizer. The highest vaccination boss in Switzerland, Christoph Berger, also finds the results so far “gratifying”.
It is expected that vaccination for very young children six months and older will be available later this year. The basis for this is a study that began in March 2021 with children aged six months and over. (gin)