Taoiseach: Ireland will offer jab to primary school children if EMA approves it
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The State stands ready to administer Covid vaccines to primary school children if European regulators approve it, the Taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin said, however, it was unlikely children in the five to 11 age group will get the jab here before Christmas, given the timeline and logistics involved.
Mr Martin was speaking at Terence McSwiney College in Cork city at the launch of College Awareness week.
He was asked for his response to the news that Canada has authorised the use of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11. The incidences of Covid-19 in Canada are now highest among those in the five-to-11 bracket.
Mr Martin said the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which has since October been evaluating the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on children aged between five and 11, is expected to issue its recommendation soon – possibly within the next two weeks.
“My view there is that we will then have to go to Niac here but I would support the rollout to children in due course once it’s authorised by the relevant authorities who have the clinical expertise to make that recommendation,” he said.
“But we have to get the recommendation from the EMA, similar to the FDA, and that I believe is due within the next week or two, but then there will be a different calibration here because the dosage for children will be much lower than the dosage for adults.
“But it’s something on the horizon and on the agenda – all in the context of the advice we will receive.”
However, he said it was unlikely children under 12 here will get vaccines before Christmas, given the logistical and organisational issue involved around manufacturing, distributing and administering smaller doses for children.
“It’s on the horizon and on the agenda and I know the Chief Medical Officer and others are very conscious of what’s going on at the European level and what’s going on in the United States in terms of FDA approval, and the research that is coming on stream in respect of the vaccine and children and its efficacy, so it’s a further step on the road to dealing with this pandemic and we will certainly be ready when those recommendations come,” he said.
Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech has submitted data to the EMA that they say supports the use of their mRNA vaccine for young children.
The vaccine was found to induce a strong immune response in five- to 11-year-olds in a clinical trial of 2,268 participants, the companies said in September.
Earlier, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, called for a range of public health supports, including contact tracing, to be reinstated in primary schools.
Mr Martin said: “We are conscious of the concerns and we will work with the partners and deal with it then."
He said the Government had consistently taken advice from the public health authorities specifically in relation to education and to schools and he said the new antigen testing regime would come into place next week.
“That will be of assistance to schools. We will do whatever else we have to do to support teachers, to support principals and the management of schools to get through this pandemic and to get through this phase of the pandemic,” he said.
"We have a number of weeks left to the Christmas period and I think we can work together to facilitate the learning for children and students in our education system and in childcare as well."