Top WHO doctor says healthy kids, teenagers do not need to get COVID-19 booster shots

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) top doctor said that children and teenagers don’t need to get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines.

The organization’s chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, said that the main purpose of the booster is to protect the most vulnerable people in society.

According to the Daily Caller, Dr. Swaminathan said, “The aim is to protect the most vulnerable, to protect those at highest risk of severe disease and dying. These are our elderly populations, immunocompromised, people with underlying conditions, but also healthcare workers… There’s no evidence right now that healthy children, or healthy adolescents, need boosters. No evidence at all. Our primary focus, considering that we still have so many unvaccinated people in the world, is to vaccinate, provide primary doses to those who have not been vaccinated so far.”

Children and adolescents are not at a significant risk of severe illness from COVID-19. This has become more evident with the presence of Omicron. So far, 1,100 Americans 17 and under have died from COVID, which only makes up 0.1% of total COVID-19 deaths nationwide.

However, earlier in January, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended boosters for kids aged 12 and up, and not just those at a high risk.

The Food and Drug Administration had previously approved Pfizer’s booster for age 12 and up. Additionally, CDC director Rochelle Walensky specifically said the agency recommended boosters for that age group, no matter their risk to COVID.

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