The World Health Organization quietly changed its website this week to remove a bolded statement advising against children receiving COVID-19 vaccines.
The statement, which had been circulating online, said the following in bold:
"Children should not be vaccinated for the moment."
The sub-headline, which can be found in screenshots and archived versions, appears to have been removed from the active page along with a sentence stating that there is not yet enough evidence to recommend the vaccines for children, opting for a rewording further down the page. The old version read:
"There is not yet enough evidence on the use of vaccines against COVID-19 in children to make recommendations for children to be vaccinated against COVID-19."
While the updated version now shows:
"More evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19.
WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) has concluded that the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine is suitable for use by people aged 12 years and above. Children aged between 12 and 15 who are at high risk may be offered this vaccine alongside other priority groups for vaccination.
Vaccine trials for children are ongoing and WHO will update its recommendations when the evidence or epidemiological situation warrants a change in policy."
[more at link including images of WHO's before and after webpage]