As the new session begins across UK, school rely on testing, vaccine and immunity

The new school session has begun in schools across the UK, and the government has announced that it will return masks to junior high school students in UK classrooms. Below are the potential impact of Omicron on children:

According to case data for the week ending December 27, 2021, based on the infectious disease identified in the test, it is currently the highest rate among young adults. However, the percentage per 100,000 inhabitants is high even for children, 1,126.5 for 10-14 years old and 836.2 for 5-9 years old.

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics, based on swabs gathered from randomly chosen households, shows that infection levels in England were highest among children aged two to year six and those aged 25 to 34 in the week ending December 23, with roughly one in 15 people in both groups.

In England, one in every 20 secondary school-aged youngsters up to Year 11 had Covid in the same week, compared to one in every 45 people aged 50 to 69 and one in every 100 people aged 70 and up.

Early reports from South Africa suggested that this could be the case. However, a preliminary investigation based on the situation in England by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests that Omicron cases among school-aged children have a lower probability of hospitalisation than Delta cases.

Meanwhile, children aged 12 to 17 in the UK should receive two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with some receiving a third dose if they are severely immunocompromised. All 16- to 17-year-olds and some youngsters aged 12-15 years, who are in a clinical risk group, will receive a booster dose soon.

Last month, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announced that two COVID-19 vaccines would be made accessible for clinically susceptible children ageing five to eleven, as well as those living with an immunosuppressed person. The doses will be a third of what adults are given.