Despite pleas to have children vaccinated against Covid-19, more than 60,000 youngsters have not had the jab

Despite pleas from authorities, Covid vaccination rates for children remain sluggish – and 54,000 South Australian children have contracted the virus.

A plea for parents to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 has fallen on deaf ears with more than 60,000 youngsters still unvaccinated, official figures show.

New SA Health data shows 335 children aged 5-11 had one dose in the first week of the holidays, followed by another 411 youngsters last week.

Authorities had expected a spike in jab visits amid a new push in the school holidays to help arrest the sluggish rate.

That rate had fallen for weeks after a peak of 21,000 kids who had a jab in the last week of January. More than 40 per cent of the 148,253 eligible youngsters are double-jabbed but almost 61,000 children are unvaccinated.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier had pleaded for parents to get their children jabbed. Health Minister Chris Picton said the government was taking action to boost rates.

SA’s chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier speaks to the media in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Authorities now intend to launch 40 school vaccination hubs, extend opening times at state vaccination hubs and launch a childhood vaccination advertising campaign.

Officials and principals are working with schools and will host sites with a focus on outer northern and southern suburban areas as well as regional areas with poor rates.

“Our best defence against Covid is high rates of vaccination, and I would encourage all South Australian families to ensure their children are protected,” he said.

Authorities have delayed scrapping masks in schools for the first four weeks of term but healthy close contacts are now free from isolation.

Almost 54,000 SA children younger than nine have contracted Covid in the pandemic – almost 6000 in the past fortnight. Nearly 68,000 youngsters aged 10-19 have fallen ill.

An SA Health spokeswoman said fewer than a fifth of the state’s 24,762 current infections were teenagers or children younger than 18.

She said with the BA. 2 variant emerging and easing of restrictions, she “strongly encouraged families to either walk into a clinic or book.

“As families prepare for their children to return to school for term 2, it’s now more important than ever for young South Australians to get vaccinated,” she said. Over the past fortnight SA Health has recorded wildly fluctuating daily case and hospital admission data but six more ICU patients received intensive care last week, up to 16.

Acting SA Health chief executive Lynne Cowan last week told staff it was “extremely busy in our public hospital system” and warned it would continue. “Following the two long weekends … it is taking time for the system to settle down again,” she said.

Originally published as Despite pleas to have children vaccinated against Covid-19, more than 60,000 youngsters have not had the jab