Former ATAGI chair explains the case for lowering the COVID-19 vaccination age

A former chair of ATAGI has told Neil Mitchell he’d be surprised if children weren’t eventually vaccinated against COVID-19.

It comes on the back of reports the Therapeutic Goods Administration is speeding up an application to allow access to the Pfizer vaccine to those aged as young as 12.

At the moment, nobody under 16 can access the vaccine.

“I think we’ll get there, eventually,” Professor Terry Nolan, the head of vaccine and immunisation research group at the Doherty Institute, told 3AW Mornings.

He said while the risk of dying from COVID-19 for children was quite low, it wasn’t zero.

He said vaccinating children could also protect all of society.

“It would help a lot to have children protected, that is immunised and immune, in adding to the overall population proportion who are immune which is what’s necessary to get to herd immunity,” Professor Nolan explain.

“But how much of a difference that will make remains to be seen.”

Meanwhile, Professor Nolan said Victorians should be “relieved” by the latest case numbers, despite the jump to 22 daily cases.

They’re all linked.

“That’s fantastic news,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear him explain why

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