An assessment of the vaccination of school-aged children in England against SARS-CoV-2

BACKGROUND: Children and young persons are known to have a high number of close interactions, often within the school environment, which can facilitate rapid spread of infection; yet for SARS-CoV-2, it is the elderly and vulnerable that suffer the greatest health burden. Vaccination, initially targeting the elderly and vulnerable before later expanding to the entire adult population, has been transformative in the control of SARS-CoV-2 in England. However, early concerns over adverse events and the lower risk associated with infection in younger individuals means that the expansion of the vaccine programme to those under 18 years of age needs to be rigorously and quantitatively assessed. METHODS: Here, using a bespoke mathematical model matched to case and hospital data for England, we consider the potential impact of vaccinating 12–17 and 5–11-year-olds. This analysis is reported from an early model (generated in June 2021) that formed part of the evidence base for the decisions in England, and a later model (from November 2021) that benefits from a richer understanding of vaccine efficacy, greater knowledge of the Delta variant wave and uses data on the rate of vaccine administration. For both models, we consider the population wide impact of childhood vaccination as well as the specific impact on the age groups targeted for vaccination. RESULTS: Projections from June suggested that an expansion of the vaccine programme to those 12–17 years old could generate substantial reductions in infection, hospital admission and deaths in the entire population, depending on population behaviour following the relaxation of control measures. The benefits within the 12–17-year-old cohort were less marked, saving between 660 and 1100 (95% PI (prediction interval) 280–2300) hospital admissions and between 22 and 38 (95% PI 9–91) deaths depending on assumed population behaviour. For the more recent model, the benefits within this age group are reduced, saving on average 630 (95% PI 300–1300) hospital admissions and 11 (95% PI 5–28) deaths for 80% vaccine uptake, while the benefits to the wider population represent a reduction of 8–10% in hospital admissions and deaths. The vaccination of 5–11-year-olds is projected to have a far smaller impact, in part due to the later roll-out of vaccines to this age group. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination of 12–170-year-olds and 5–11-year-olds is projected to generate a reduction in infection, hospital admission and deaths for both the age groups involved and the population in general. For any decision involving childhood vaccination, these benefits needs to be balanced against potential adverse events from the vaccine, the operational constraints on delivery and the potential for diverting resources from other public health campaigns. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at (10.1186/s12916-022-02379-0).