AN ABSENCE OF booster vaccines for teenagers at high risk of severe Covid-19 is a major source of concern for families with immunocompromised 12 to 15-year-olds, particularly as legal requirements on masks are removed.
Booster vaccines against Covid-19 have not yet been approved for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 15, who were eligible to receive their initial doses from last August.
Internationally, countries including the US, UK, France and Germany have already started administering booster jabs to the age group.
One parent with an immunocompromised daughter told The Journal that the wait for a booster is an ongoing source of concern for their family, especially now as mask-wearing moves from a legal requirement to a personal decision.
Chris Herdman, whose 15-year-old daughter Aideen has epilepsy, scoliosis, and respiratory difficulties, asked: “Why haven’t they approved it even for the vulnerable in that age group? Why are they forgotten about?”
“The eldery and vulnerable [adults] got their boosters, but Aideen hasn’t got hers. She’s in a small minority at this stage because she’s in the 12 to 15 group,” Chris said.
“Everyone’s moved on. I wouldn’t be bringing Aideen into a shopping centre or anywhere like that, especially now with no mask-wearing.”
He said boosters for vulnerable teenagers should have been organised “before they start doing away with all the face masks and restrictions”.
She has the vaccine, but the booster, why are they not approving the booster for that age group?
Yesterday, NPHET recommended that mandatory mask-wearing should end in schools, retail and public transport.
Instead, masks would be optional in those settings and left up to individuals whether they choose to wear one, NPHET is advising the government.
Mask-wearing would still be required in hospitals and healthcare settings.
At an Oireachtas Committee hearing at the start of February, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said that advice on booster vaccines for teenagers may be issued this month.
The National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac), which is responsible for looking at evidence and issuing advice to public health officials on vaccines, is currently considering boosters for the age group.
However, Niac, the Department of Health and the HSE declined to indicate when the boosters would be approved or when the rollout would begin.
Speaking to The Journal, Niac said it “does not comment on its process” and that its “advice is issued to the Department of Health, where queries on this should be directed”.
A statement from the Department of Health said that Niac “continues to review the evidence in relation to the administration of booster vaccine doses to certain cohorts and will make recommendations to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) as appropriate”.
Asked how long it would take to rollout the boosters if approved and whether the process would be similar to the first schedule of doses for the age group, the HSE said: “As with all phases of the vaccination programme to date the HSE implements the recommendations from the Niac and guidance from the Chief Medical Officer.”
“Once guidance has been received from the CMO, the HSE will work to operationalise the extension of the programme in a safe and timely manner.”
Whether, and when, the vaccines will be approved for teenagers has been raised with Minister for Health on multiple occasions in the Dáil through parliamentary questions, but the response from the minister has been that Niac will continue to examine evidence as needed.
Speaking to The Journal, People Before Profit’s health spokesperson Gino Kenny called on Niac to make a recommendation as soon as possible.
“PBP will be led by the public health advice. However, we believe that booster shots will be necessary for 12 to 15-years-olds and we urge NIAC to issue its recommendations on this matter as soon as possible,” Kenny said.
Infection rates are high and increasing among children and hospitalisations of children are also increasing.
“More than 240 children under the age of 12 were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in January. This is the largest unvaccinated part of the population,” the TD said.
“The vaccination programme has been very successful in reducing the severity of Covid-19 and it is essential that boosters are administered to offset waning effectiveness.”
Internationally, countries like the US, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland and others are offering booster vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds.
Canada’s health officials recommended booster vaccines for teenagers with an underlying medical condition, who live in a crowded setting, or who belong to a racialised or marginalised community disproportionately affected by Covid-19.
They also said that moderately to severely immunocompromised adolescents who had not yet been immunised should be offered an initial vaccine schedule of three mRNA doses.
In Ireland, families like Chris’ with high-risk teens are anxious for boosters to be approved to increase their child’s protection against Covid-19.
Chris’ daughter Aideen is currently in hospital after picking up a rhinovirus, an infection that causes the common cold.
“If you Google it, it’s not that bad, it’s like a mild cold, but her oxygen was down to 80%. She couldn’t breathe and she had to go into hospital,” Chris said.
That’s saying that it’s mild, that it’s nothing, but it’s not nothing to Aideen.
“If she picked up coronavirus, with what this is after doing to her, if she got the coronavirus, it’d probably kill her.”
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