As Sydney parents tentatively prepare to send their children back to school next week, incidents of young people contracting and transmitting COVID-19 have raised questions about whether teenagers should get vaccinated.

Medical experts have been clear that keeping schools open is vital because of the negative impact that closures can have on the mental health, social development and education of children.

Despite earlier assumptions that children were unlikely to transmit the virus, the latest outbreaks of highly contagious variants have shown us that they are not immune to infection. A student at Rose Bay Public School tested positive at the weekend after four children at South Coogee Public School and one at Emanuel School in Randwick contracted the virus. A Melbourne primary school has also reported an outbreak.

Other countries, including the United States, with high vaccination rates in adults, have already started vaccinating adolescents as young as 12. Canada and Singapore have also approved the use of Pfizer for teenagers. Health Minister Greg Hunt says the Therapeutic Goods Administration is now considering an application from pharmaceutical company Pfizer for its vaccine to be given to children between the ages of 12 and 15.

But medical experts in Australia – where vaccination rates are relatively low – suggest that adults, including school staff, still need to be prioritised for vaccination and that is the major key to keeping children safe. This is because adult staff are often responsible for transmission in schools and that most infections – whether in schools or more generally – are transmitted in the home.





Immunisation expert Peter McIntyre says Australia must achieve much higher vaccination rates in adults and that vaccination of people younger than 16 needs further consideration. Others in the medical profession have suggested that children will need to be vaccinated for Prime Minister Morrison’s four-point plan to open up “fortress Australia” to be effective.

COVID vaccines are currently not registered for use in children younger than 16 in Australia, but Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said on Sunday she expected the vaccine rollout would be extended to school children by next year. For now, vaccine supplies were constrained and priority still needed to be given to the elderly, those with underlying health conditions and the broader adult population “before we move ahead to the younger age group”.

Unlike the elderly, children rarely develop severe forms of COVID-19 or die. But they can spread the disease.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd says the Pfizer vaccine was approved only for use in people over 16 and AstraZeneca for those aged 18 and over, and that research into the safe use of vaccines in children was ongoing.




As we’ve seen with changes to the age groups that qualify for the AstraZeneca vaccine, regulators would consider safety first when weighing up the risks and benefits. This is especially so in Australia where the risk of contracting the virus is relatively low.

When a critical mass is achieved in the vaccination of older Australians, families – including those wanting to travel – may want access to extra protection for their children. As long as it’s safe, that opportunity should be considered.

For now, the biggest hurdle that hampers the effort to build herd immunity is the lack of vaccination supplies for people under the age of 60. As NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard noted on Monday, the supply shortage has created a type of “Hunger Games” among those grasping for a vaccination appointment.

Recommendations for vaccination will continue to evolve. But for now, the priority should be on vaccinating adults, particularly teachers and other school staff. Once we pass that hurdle, medical experts should recommend whether it is safe to vaccinate children.