The Covid vaccine is “very safe” and benefits outweigh risks for children, a leading paediatrician in Wales has said.
All children aged five to 11 are being offered the Covid jab in Wales, the Welsh Government has announced.
Dr David Tuthill, Consultant Paediatrician at the Children’s Hospital for Wales and Wales officer for the Royal College of Paediatricians, said: “On a personal basis, I think it’s a good thing to do.”
He said he always advised parents to look at the pros and cons of any medication and in the case of the Covid jab for children he believed the benefits were greater than any risks.
Read more: Nearly all parts of Wales are now seeing a promising reduction in their infection rates
Dr Tuthill admitted while there was a clear benefit for adults having the jab, this may not seem so clear in children, who are unlikely to get very ill from Covid.
On the other hand some vulnerable children have ended in intensive care with Covid. Children in general have also suffered as a consequence of pandemic restrictions. They have been through school closures and rates of depression,self harm and overdoses among young people have increased.
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Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on February 16 Dr Tuthill was asked about his advice to parents and the possible risks of the jab, including the risk of heart inflammation.
“The vaccine is very safe,” Dr Tuthill said, “It’s going to reduce spread in children. It’s going to make children less likely to get Covid and reduce severity if they do.
“There’s a tiny risk of myocarditis, which is the thing the JCVI is being very careful about - that’s inflammation of the heart.
“But it happens with Covid and more severely with Covid. So vaccination will reduce the chance of that. It is very uncommon. It happens more in teenage boys, for some reason, we don’t fully understand, particularly after the second dose. So if the plan is to initially is to give one dose the risk outweigh the benefits.”
Dr Tuthill said there was “clear water” marking the pros and cons of the jab for adults. While this was less clear on the face of it, for children having the jab, his personal view was that benefits outweighed any risks to children.The Welsh Government was approached for comment.
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