Should Children in Pakistan be vaccinated? Is there any Evidence?

Abstract

In Pakistan, where the vaccination rate is dismally low and where the huge population remains unvaccinated, vaccination in children might be considered a privilege and a luxury. But with several countries such as Canada, United States, China, Indonesia, and Israel forging ahead with vaccinating children and the United Kingdom slowly following their footsteps and with mounting evidence, it might not be prudent to keep children side-lined from vaccination in Pakistan. This paper presents some evidence for vaccination in children and highlights the need and urgency for vaccinating children in Pakistan. Clinical trials of Pfizer/NBiotech, Moderna and SinoVac’s CoronaVac has shown promising results and higher antibody titres in children as compared to adults. For herd immunity to be effective and to curb this pandemic, it is prudent to initiate vaccination in children in Pakistan at the earliest.