Chief health officer Kerry Chant said the areas in Sydney worst hit by the outbreak had a “younger age profile”, which contributed to so many young people being affected.
Those areas also had larger household sizes than the rest of the city and more often had multiple generation of the same family living under one roof, she told a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
“Clearly the picture with Delta is that once it’s introduced to a household, it’s inevitable that everyone gets the Delta strain,” Dr Chant said.
About 70 per cent of NSW’s coronavirus cases are people aged under 40, the state’s chief health officer Kerry Chant says. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De MarchiSource:News Corp Australia
Unlike previous strains of the virus, the Delta variant tends to spread easily among children.
Most transmissions to children have occurred in households, with some outbreaks at childcare centres, Dr Chant said.
Outdoor playgrounds have not been linked to any significant outbreaks, but Dr Chant said parents who take their children there should take care not to interact with others and to limit their children’s interaction with other kids if possible.
Dr Chant said her health team would look at international studies being conducted into the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines in children younger than nine.
However, there are no coronavirus vaccines currently licenced for use in children that young in Australia.
The immunisation authority ATAGI is considering recommending vaccinating children as young as 12 against the virus.
More to come