Just three of the almost 4000 children aged under 12 infected with coronavirus in Australia this year have needed intensive care treatment.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk sparked fierce national debate after suggesting she would not open her state’s borders until young children were vaccinated.
Children aged 12 to 15 have joined the vaccine rollout but no regulator in Australia or abroad has approved coronavirus jabs for people younger than that.
Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said immunising parents was the key to protecting young people who are less severely affected than adults.
“The disease in children is very different from what we’re seeing in adults,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Since January 1, 3815 children under 12 have contracted coronavirus across Australia.
While 134 have been hospitalised, most of those have been for social reasons including their parents being too unwell to care for them.
Three have been admitted to intensive care.
Professor Kelly said the Delta strain – which is spreading across locked-down NSW, Victoria and the ACT – was more transmissible than other variants.
“It is not more severe. There is very little evidence anywhere in the world that severity has increased,” he said.
Ms Palaszczuk doubled down on her concerns about unvaccinated children, pointing to rising infection numbers around the world.
The Queensland Labor leader called for more research about vaccination in the 0-12 age range.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said her claim that children would be vulnerable if the virus circulated in Queensland didn’t stack up.
“It’s a desperate denial of the reality and is not based on the medical advice,” he told the Seven Network on Thursday.
Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese said he backed the national plan but acknowledged states not locked down were worried about the disease’s potential impact.
“Parents are very worried about their children,” he said.
“But we need to follow the health advice.”
There were 1288 new cases and seven deaths in NSW, taking the national toll to 1019.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said leaders needed to “get real” on accepting Australia would never eliminate coronavirus.
“We can’t pretend that we’re separate nations within one nation. We all need to work together,” she said.
Victoria, which recorded 176 new cases on Thursday, has dumped its goal of returning to zero cases but Melbourne’s lockdown will continue while vaccination rates rise.
Queensland has recorded two new local cases in truck drivers in as many days.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, premiers and chief ministers will receive an update on how hospitals are placed at Friday’s national cabinet meeting.
Outbound travel restrictions made under emergency biosecurity laws have been extended for three months until December 17.
Australia has fully vaccinated 35.7 per cent of the population aged 16 and over, while 59.6 per cent have received one dose.
AAP
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