By Giles Dexter of RNZ

The Green Party is calling for the Covid-19 vaccine to be made universally available for children under five, after discovering nearly 2500 have been hospitalised for Covid since the early stages of the Omicron outbreak.

A Written Parliamentary Question from the Greens’ Covid-19 Response spokesperson Teanau Tuiono to Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall asked: “How many children under five have been hospitalised due to Covid-19 since February 2022?”

The minister replied: “As at February 24, 2023, 2458 children under five have been hospitalised due to Covid-19 since February 2022.”

Tuiono told RNZ the numbers were “horrendously high”.

Green Party Covid-19 Response spokesperson Teanau Tuiono. Photo / RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“There needs to be a rethink here. The Government needs to get a move on. People might have moved on from Covid, but Covid hasn’t moved on from us, and we need to react and respond accordingly.”

Last month, a version of the Pfizer vaccine containing a lower dose of mRNA was made available for use in children under five who are severely immunocompromised, or who have complex/multiple health conditions which would increase the risk of severe disease.

Tuiono said based on the hospitalisation numbers, there was a strong argument to widen access.

 “Something needs to happen. We’re not convinced there’s a case for making this targeted rather than a universally available vaccine, given the extent of hospitalisations of under-fives.”

But the health minister said there were no current plans to broaden the vaccine’s eligibility.

In a statement, Verrall told RNZ the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 Vaccine Technical Advisory Group [CV Tag] took several factors into account when considering vaccination for the age group, including the high proportion of children under five who had already been exposed to Covid, and consideration of hospitalisation and mortality data.

Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“Medsafe has concluded at this stage that children aged six months to four years who are not in a risk category have a very low likelihood of severe illness from Covid-19 infection,” Verrall said.

She said the CV Tag “will continue to review information on Covid-19 and Covid-19 vaccines and will make further recommendations if necessary”.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he had not seen the most recent advice on widening access, but availability for under-five-year-olds was broadly in line with other countries New Zealand “compared notes” with.

“We’ll continue to follow that scientific, health-based advice. Vaccination for younger people, there’s always a weighing there, a balance between the risk and the benefits,” Hipkins said.

- RNZ