Is there a role for childhood vaccination against COVID-19?

Eberhardt, Christiane Sigrid; Siegrist, Claire-Anne

Tremendous efforts are undertaken to quickly develop COVID-19 vaccines that protect vulnerable individuals from severe disease and thereby limit the health and socioeconomical impacts of the pandemic. Potential candidates are tested in adult populations and questions arise of whether COVID-19 vaccination should be implemented in children. Compared to adults, the incidence and disease severity of COVID-19 is low in children and despite their infectiveness, their role in disease propagation is limited. Therefore, COVID-19 vaccines will need to have fully demonstrated safety and efficacy in preventing not only complications but transmission to justify childhood vaccination. This work summarizes currently tested vaccine platforms and debates practical and ethical considerations for their potential use in children. It also discusses the already deleterious effect of the pandemic on routine childhood vaccine coverage, calling for action to limit the risks for a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases.