Fauci says children should be vaccinated against covid for school

Currently there are no vaccines available for children under 12

File: Dr Fauci says he believes mandating Covid-19 vaccines among school-going children is a ‘good idea’ (Reuters)

A mandate for vaccinating school-going children against Covid-19 is a “good idea”, according to top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci who also acknowledged some resistance to the plan.

Dr Fauci, talking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday, pointed to a strong benefit-risk ratio that will be established by government authorities for this purpose.

“A lot of people are pushing back against that but if you get the information about the safety and strong benefit-risk ratio for the children, when that gets established which I believe it certainly will by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP), I believe that mandating vaccines for children appearing in school is a good idea,” said Dr Fauci.

Explaining that this is not an unusual mandate, he said: “We have mandates in schools, particularly in public schools that if in fact you want a child to come in, we’ve done this for decades and decades requiring Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis.”

Dr Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, was responding to a question on whether there should be a mandate on vaccinating school children.

There has been a debate on implementing such a mandate as the country faces Covid-19 cases as a result of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Currently, there are no vaccines available for children under 12. The FDA had recently granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those who are 16 and older.

Some experts said the US is still some time away from starting the vaccination process for children under 12.

Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, said even after Pfizer presents clinical findings on vaccinating children under the age of 12 to the FDA by September end, it will take months to approve the emergency use for these vaccines.

“I’ve got to be honest, I don’t see the approval for kids – 5 to 11 – coming much before the end of 2021,” Dr Collins told NPR.

Dr Fauci, talking about a widespread mandate for vaccinations at the local level to cover as many people as possible, gave his assent.

Such a mandate would potentially cover colleges, universities, offices and spaces that would have the presence of a large number of people.

“Now that we have seen full stamp of approval for the Pfizer vaccine, we’re definitely going to see mandating for colleges if you want to attend in person at a college or university or places of business that employees a large number of people,” Dr Fauci said.

“I think we are going to see it. I actually encourage it because in that way, we can see many many more people vaccinated,” he added.

At least 1,100 people are dying from Covid-19 every day in the US, according to a study by the Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 85,000 people were hospitalised last week after contracting the disease, CDC data showed.

Doctors are urging people in areas with low vaccination rates to get their shots against Covid-19, even as some media reports said parents of children under the age of 12 are urging paediatricians to vaccinate their children as they were concerned about the Delta variant.