Last update: May 26th, 2021.
Vaccine rollouts are coming to fruition globally and some countries are opening vaccinations to citizens under 18. But the question remains, will there be COVID passports for children?
With new strains of the coronavirus proving more harmful to underage citizens than previously thought, parents are lining up around the block to have their children take part in vaccine trials.
Meanwhile, vaccine passports are proving to be the homogenous answer to vaccination confirmation. As everyone is not eligible to receive the vaccine, are minors eligible for health passports, and how will this affect the race towards normality?
Is it possible for underage citizens to get a COVID vaccine?
Vaccine trials on children have been launched across the board.
The FDA and Health Canada have now approved the use of vaccines in children between the ages of 12 and 15.
The Center for Disease Control director, Rochelle Walensky, said that “the CDC now recommends the vaccine be used among this population, and providers may begin vaccinating them right away.”
It is expected that the vaccine will be approved for children as young as 6 months by the end of the year or early 2022.
Whitehouse Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci said “if you project realistically when we will be able to get enough data to be able to say that elementary school children will be able to be vaccinated… I would think that would be, at the earliest, the end of the year and very likely the first quarter of 2022.”
Moderna
One of the big names in vaccines, Moderna, has started its trial in the 6-month to 12-year age groups.
Dr. Inci Yildirim has also been working on the trails at Yale School of Medicine. “It’s exactly the same vaccine that millions of adults have now received, and many teenagers have already received in other clinical trials, but the dose may differ based on the results of the study” Yildirim says.
A recent TeenCOVE study has shown that, in a group of over 3,700 participants aged 12 to 17, “no cases of COVID-19 were observed after 2 doses of vaccine using the primary case definition, consistent with a vaccine efficacy of 100%.”
Pfizer-BioNTech
BioNTech and Pfizer have also appealed to the EU to approve the vaccination of children over 12.
Pfizer–BioNTech has also been tested at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore since March. Kawsar Talaat, an infectious disease physician, and vaccine scientist says that “somebody told me they called and called and called until they were allowed to participate.”
Vaccine passport for children: What’s the current situation?
It is now clear pharmaceutical companies are speeding up their strategies when it comes to vaccinating underage citizens against COVID-19.
This, at the same time, means a health passport or coronavirus certificate meant for children and adolescents is feasible. However, no global, unanimous decision has been made.
Europe
Vaccine passports like the Digital Green Pass of the EU make provisions for individuals who cannot be vaccinated.
This includes pregnant women, people with certain underlying conditions, or children. They are, however, able to add COVID test results or infection statuses to their coronavirus passports.
Israel
Israel’s vaccine passport will work for children if they can upload their PCR test results to the app.
This will grant them 3-day access to public places like cinemas and restaurants. Their temporary green shield will be linked to their parent’s accounts for regulation.
However, many parents are still forced to leave their children at home when going to public places, eat outside at restaurants, or forego a family holiday until their children can be vaccinated.
Iceland
Iceland has been easing its border restrictions towards vaccinated individuals but families with unvaccinated children are still required to quarantine.
Iceland With Kids writer, Eric Newman, explains: “Unvaccinated children would still need to quarantine for five days, and the parents, of course, must stay with the child. Iceland’s brand-new travel regulations are not friendly to families hoping to visit with children.”
Why should children be vaccinated against COVID-19?
Children have not been affected as severely by the virus yet but those who have, have shown signs of “long COVID”, symptoms lasting much longer than the actual disease.
Shortness of breath for prolonged periods of time has been common in children affected by the disease.
By mid-May, nearly 4 million children have been infected, which only represents 14% of the total number of infections. It is also estimated that children represent around 0,2% of coronavirus-related deaths.
However, children are carriers of the virus as they may be asymptomatic. This means they are more likely to spread the disease unknowingly.
Since the onset of the pandemic, children have largely been studying online and teachers are desperate for children to make their way back into classrooms.
Over 100 colleges in the USA have made it mandatory for students to get vaccinated in order to return to classes in the fall. Public and private schools and daycares will have different mandates on the matter.
Where can children be vaccinated?
In most cases, children in the US can be vaccinated at their pediatrician or a number of school clinics and pharmacies. Mobile units are also being implemented for easier access.
The CDC has also confirmed that children who are still receiving their routine childhood inoculations can also receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Experience with other vaccines has shown that the way our bodies develop protection, known as an immune response, after getting vaccinated and possible side effects of vaccines are generally the same when given alone or with other vaccines.”
The process of age de-escalation is being applied to the trials in younger children. This means trials will take longer than in adults as certain age groups are tested first with small doses and then incrementally increased. Thus, vaccines will not be ready for much younger children in time for summer travel.