The World Health Organization on Wednesday said that kids do not need to be vaccinated to attend school. The global body said it is more important for the adults around them to be fully vaccinated so they can be safe. WHO also called for a moratorium on booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines until the end of September.

The World Health Organisation, during a briefing on Wednesday, said that kids do not need to be vaccinated to attend school.

Emphasizing the fact that schools should remain open, Dr. Katherine O' Brien, a member of the WHO Covid-expert committee said: "There is no requirement for teenagers or kids to have to be vaccinated in order to attend school. That should not be a barrier for them to attend school. It's about the protection of the adults around them, who are the ones who really have more risk of disease."

On Wednesday, WHO also called for a moratorium on booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines till end of September.

On July 19, the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi said the country should consider reopening schools in a "staggered way". Most schools in India have been shut since the first nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 was imposed in March of last year.

Are children at lower risk of COVID-19 than adults?

According to WHO, so far, data suggests that children under the age of 18 years represent about 8.5% of reported cases, with relatively few deaths compared to other age groups and usually mild disease. However, cases of critical illness have been reported. As with adults, pre-existing medical conditions have been suggested as a risk factor for severe disease and intensive care admission in children.

Further studies are underway to assess the risk of infection in children and to better understand transmission in this age group.

Effectiveness of symptoms-reporting, monitoring, rapid testing and tracing of suspected cases.

The effects of policies and measures on educational objectives and learning outcomes.

The effects of policies and measures on the health and well-being of children, siblings, staff, parents and other family members The trend in school dropouts after lifting the restrictions.

The number of cases in children and staff in the school, and frequency of school-based outbreaks in the local administrative area and the country.

Assessment of the impact of remote teaching on learning outcomes. Based on what is learned from this monitoring, further modifications should be made to continue to provide children and staff with the safest environment possible.

Source: India Today