THE HSE HAS renewed its appeal to parents to register children aged 5 to 11 years for a Covid-19 jab as it opens up online booking for vaccines to this age cohort.
According to the latest government figures, just 108,000 children aged 5 to 11 have had at least one dose and 55,400 are fully vaccinated, out of a total of 480,000 children in this age cohort in Ireland.
Dr Lucy Jessop, Director of Public Health at the HSE’s National Immunisation Office told The Journal that early adopters registered quickly and there are parents registering their children every day, but it has slowed down.
“We know from research that parents wanted to take their time to consider it,” she said.
“We launched a campaign ahead of Christmas to remind parents to consider vaccination for their children, but we do know that particularly around Christmas and the New Year a lot of children in that age group had Covid.”
Dr Jessop said some parents may be confused about the vaccination timeline for their children if they had Covid over the Christmas period.
“If they’ve had Covid, they only need to wait four weeks to get their first dose,” she explained.
“We are a little bit worried that people might think it’s three months – it’s only three months for boosters. Even if you catch Covid inbetween the first and second dose it’s still only a four week wait to get the second dose.”
Dr Jessop said positive evidence in relation to the safety of the vaccine for children of this age has continued to be presented internationally.
“It has been used extensively in this age group in the US and in other European countries, the UK has also just recently announced it will offer the vaccine to children,” she said.
“In terms of the data from America, nine million doses [in this age cohort] have been given and those very rare side effects of myocarditis and pericarditis are actually reported less in this age group than in teenagers and adolescents,” she said.
Dr Jessop said data from Ireland also indicates that the main side effects experienced by children following vaccination are on the milder end of the scale.
As of 8 February, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) had received 346 reports of suspected side effects following vaccination in those aged 5-17 years, 54 of which related to a child while the remaining were reported in adolescents.
Overall, the HPRA said the reports received were consistent with the types of reports received for adults, with most being mild to moderate in nature.
The most regularly reported include dizziness or fainting, headache, fever, nausea or vomiting and tiredness. Of the reports received which include information on outcome, many of the suspected side effects had resolved or were resolving at the time of reporting.
Dr Jessop said that while the risk of severe illness with a Covid-19 infection is low for children in this age group, there are children who are “being hospitalised and getting some serious complications” from the disease.
“There can be some serious consequences, whether it’s multi system inflammatory disease or long Covid – we’re still seeing children presenting with that,” she said. “As well as reducing that risk that they could get very ill, by getting the vaccine they’re also protecting other family members.
For me, as a parent, my children have been vaccinated and if we’re relaxing restrictions I want to know my children are as protected as possible. In terms of lifting restrictions, rather than thinking that means Covid is going away, it’s even more of a reason to vaccinate your children to give them the best protection.
How to register
Parents or legal guardians of a child aged 5-11 can register their child using the HSE’s online portal or by calling the Covid-19 helpline on 1800 700 700.
To register online you need:
Up until recently those who registered would receive a text message with the child’s vaccination appointment three to seven days before the appointment.
The HSE is now changing the system to allow parents to book a convenient time and date for the appointment through the online portal.
“It will give parents an opportunity to bring their child for the vaccine at a time that suits them,” Dr Jessop said.
“We appreciate that parents and guardians are busy and we want to help make it as accessible as possible.”
The HSE advised parents to ensure they book the correct clinic for their children’s age group as there are different clinics for those aged over 12.
Where possible the child’s parent or legal guardian should go with their child to the appointment, but if they have already given their consent online in advance they can ask another adult to bring the child to the appointment. Children cannot attend their appointment alone.
Covid-19 vaccinations for children in this age group are administered at vaccination centres and parents are advised to bring a form of identification with the child’s date of birth on it, if possible.
All children in this age group will receive the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, but they will receive a lower dose than adults.
Children should wear something that will make it easy to get the vaccine in their upper arm and should eat before they arrive as there may be a wait at the vaccination centre.
For children with additional needs, parents can call HSE Live ahead of time on 1800 700 700 to ensure their child has more time at their appointment or a quieter appointment time with fewer people at the centre.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say