Corona variant in Great Britain: number of children in clinics remains low

The statement by SPD health expert Lauterbach that many children in Great Britain are in hospital has sparked a lot of discussion. But the database for this is missing.

The SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach has asked the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) to reconsider its restricted recommendation for corona vaccinations of children. The Stiko argue that Covid-19 is harmless for children, Lauterbach told the “Rheinische Post” on Monday. “In my opinion, this does not apply to the delta variant,” he emphasized. In the UK, many children with Covid-19 are already being treated in hospitals.

The comments have further fueled the discussion about vaccinating children. In the debate about the risks posed by the delta variant for children, paediatricians supported the assessment of the Stiko.

The data does not show a sharp increase in numbers

Data shows that the number of corona infections in the UK is indeed increasing – that of infected children and adolescents who have to be treated in hospital, but remains low. this applies both for England as well as Scotland and other parts of the UK.

In conversation with tagesschau.de Lauterbach explained that his testimony was based on a minister from Scotland who reported more children in hospitals, but later put this into perspective. In fact, the numbers from Great Britain did not show any significant increases, Lauterbach said. However, he referred to findings on “Long Covid” in children and data from the USA and India, which showed more severe courses in children and adolescents. He therefore sticks to his assessment that vaccinations are important and necessary to protect children and adolescents from the delta variant and to contain the infection process.

Study: 27,000 lives saved

This is also the opinion of experts from Great Britain who a new study on the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign. An estimated 27,000 lives have been saved by vaccination – in England alone. The experts involved were surprised by the high number and emphasized that this was even increasing exponentially the further the vaccination campaign progressed.

The number of infections in Great Britain has been rising again for weeks. This is mainly attributed to the strong spread of the delta variant, which now makes up more than 90 percent of all new infections. At the same time, the vaccination program is well advanced. In the UK, around 85 percent of adults have had a one-time vaccination. Almost 62 percent of those over the age of 18 have already received two vaccinations. The number of deaths has remained at a low level so far, but it is also increasing.