The health benefits of maintaining routine childhood vaccination programs in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic far outweigh the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission that might be associated with clinic visits, according to a modeling study published in The Lancet global health journal. For every additional COVID-19 death that might be associated with additional exposure to the virus during routine clinic visits, the model predicts that 84 deaths in children before five years of age (uncertainty interval 14-267) could be prevented by continuing with routine vaccinations. The additional risk of COVID-19 transmission associated with clinic visits is predicted to primarily affect older adults living in the same household as vaccinated children.
The findings suggest that continuing with usual vaccination schedules could prevent 702,000 child deaths (uncertainty interval 635,000-782,000) from the point of immunization until they reach five years of age. The study looked at all 54 countries of Africa and found that in all countries, the number of child deaths averted through vaccination far exceeded the number of excess COVID-19 deaths that might be associated with clinic visits. However, the authors acknowledge there are other issues that will affect whether vaccination programs can continue, such as vaccine supply chain problems or healthcare staff shortages during the pandemic.
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