On December 13, the World's first case of death from a new variant of Omicron appeared in the United Kingdom, and on the 15th, the country set a record for the highest single-day increase since the outbreak of the epidemic. According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Omiljun strain has now spread to 36 states across the United States. Earlier this week, the number of coronavirus deaths in the United States exceeded 800,000.
In the face of the menacing Omicron, the United Kingdom and the United States have chosen to accelerate the expansion of vaccination coverage. But when it comes to vaccinate children against COVID-19, there are differences in the two countries' approaches: the UK has slowed down significantly to expand its vaccination programme to children. Awareness of the potential risks of vaccines, health care systems, and medical culture play a role, according to foreign media reports.
The United States is more keen to provide vaccines to children
In May of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an emergency authorization application for the Pfizer vaccine, expanding the age range of vaccination from people aged 16 and over to 12-15 years old, and allowing two doses of vaccination for all eligible people.
By late October of this year, the FDA extended the vaccination program to children aged 5-11 years (at lower doses than other age groups). Since then, some experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have strongly demanded that younger American children be vaccinated.
▲ A 9-year-old child in the United States receives the Pfizer vaccine.
But in the UK, although the promotion of vaccines for the adult population is relatively smooth, the pace of child vaccination has slowed down significantly. The UK's Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) approved the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12-15 years in June and the Modena vaccine for children aged 12-17 years in August. However, from 13 September, only the first dose of the vaccine will be offered to children aged 12-15 years. Under UK healthcare law, adolescents aged 12-15 have been deemed mature enough to have the final say on whether to vaccinate.
Covid-19 infection levels in the UK have remained high for months, with school-age children most affected. And due to the spread of the Omiljung variant, the number of daily infections in the UK is expected to set a new record. At present, the MHRA has not announced whether it will approve the covid-19 vaccine for younger children, as the FDA and the European Medicines Agency have done. But according to an undisclosed report, the UK Health Service (NHS) is ready to launch a vaccine for children under 5 years old next spring.
There are three reasons why attitudes towards childhood vaccination in the UK are influenced
Awareness of threats to children's health
In September, the UK's Joint Commission on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said the risk of children contracting the coronavirus was low. While the health benefits of vaccination in this group outweigh the risks of vaccination, the "benefits are too small" to discourage teens from being vaccinated. The JCVI also notes that vaccination has some associated "very rare" side effects, so it's best for children to rely on their own immunity to fight the virus.
▲ The streets of London, England
According to Dr. Peter Hotz, co-director of the Vaccine Development Center at Texas Children's Hospital, the more aggressive introduction of childhood vaccination programs in the United States is based on "native data." "This summer, the wave of infections from the Delta strain has led people (in the United States) to believe that the coronavirus can cause severe or fatal diseases in children and adolescents."
In addition, some U.S. experts have advocated vaccinating young children as a way to reduce infections in adults. Because although underage groups are less ill after infection, they may transmit the virus to high-risk groups such as grandparents at home, and vaccination of American adults is also slowing. British experts believe that the practice of vaccinate children to protect adults is extremely inappropriate.
Healthcare systems are different
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) reportedly operates universal universal health care. As a result, COVID-19 patients can make better use of the healthcare network when seeking medical treatment. For the American people, there are group differences in U.S. health care, making it more difficult for some groups to solve the problem of new crown infection.
Eric Schneider, senior vice president of policy and research at the U.S. Federal Fund, said, "There are almost two health care systems in the United States: one for people who are affordable and insured, and one for people who lack insurance or are underinsured." "Patients infected with COVID-19 face greater difficulties in obtaining medication or treatment due to limited insurance coverage. To a certain extent, this has also led to an increase in people's awareness of epidemic prevention.
▲ Health care system performance ranking (based on residents' ability to pay), the United States ranked at the bottom of the ranking of 11 high-income countries, according to the UNITED States federal funds.
"The health system in the US is not as protective of vulnerable or low-income groups as we are," said Russell Wiener, a professor at the Institute of Child Health at University College London. ”
In addition, according to a source with knowledge of JCVI's affairs, the main difference between the U.K. and U.S. health systems is that Medicare costs less in the U.S. This means that if a child becomes infected and sick, U.S. parents may need to pay for more expensive care for their child.
Differences in medical culture
According to Wiener, the differences in attitudes towards children's COVID-19 vaccination in the UK and the US also stem from differences in medical cultures between the two countries. "U.S. doctors are generally more supportive of interventions. In the UK, doctors are more sensitive to the potential risks of preventive treatment. ”
Boris Johnson visits the Paddington Clinic in London
Separately, a poll conducted by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Found that at least seven out of ten Americans show a high level of trust in doctors, nurses and pharmacists. The researchers said that if unvaccinated people have an acquaintance with a health care worker and the health care provider recommends that they be vaccinated, their willingness to vaccinate will be greatly enhanced.
One of the questions facing the UK today, under the influence of the Aumechjong variant, is whether to gradually catch up with the United States in terms of child vaccination.
Red Star News reporter Wang Yalin intern reporter Ding Wen
Edited by Guo Yu
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