UK children aged 12 to 15 will get Covid jab | Corona Virus

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Children aged 12 to 15 will get the Covid vaccinations, the UK’s four medical officials decided, ignoring the view of the government’s vaccine watchdog that the clinical benefits of such vaccines were too small to be justified.

In a decision that would relieve ministers, who hope a mass program to vaccinate older children will help reduce the numbers of Covid-19 infections during autumn and winter, chief medical officials from four countries in the United Kingdom said the first injection could be made immediately, with the possibility of A second dose in the spring semester or later.

Earlier this month, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) said that while the health gains from vaccinating the entire age group were greater than the risks, the “margin of benefit is considered too small” to support it.

However, the JCVI has remained open to the possibility of overturning the decision by proposing that the UK’s four chief medical officers re-examine the decision, taking into account broader factors outside the JCVI’s purview, such as the potential impact of vaccinations in reducing disruption to education. .

In a letter to Sajid Javid, the health minister, medical officials said they had decided the impact on education merited a broad launch of vaccinations for the age group.

While acknowledging the JCVI ruling, and the risk that Covid vaccinations in schools could affect other vaccination programmes, they said their view was that the “potential additional benefits of reduced educational disruption, and consequent reduction in public health harm caused by education disruption, are generally Balanced provides sufficient additional advantage in addition to the marginal advantage at the individual level specified by the JCVI to recommend in favor of immunizing this group.”

The letter added: “They therefore recommend, for reasons of public health, that Ministers extend the universal vaccination offer with a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to all children and youth aged 12 to 15 who are not already covered by current JCVI advice.”

JCVI has already agreed to expand the current vaccination program for older children with health conditions, increasing the eligible cohort to about 200,000.

The letter read: “If ministers accept this advice, UK marketing directors want the JCVI to give a view on whether second doses will give children and young people aged 12 to 15 again data on second doses in this category.” age. Internationally. It won’t be before spring.”

However, medical officials said it must be recognized that the net benefits of vaccinating children were significantly lower than in adults, and “approval issues should take these more balanced risks into account.”

The letter said professional medical groups should be consulted on consent issues, adding: “The primary goal should be a child-centred approach to communication and vaccine dissemination.

“If ministers accept this advice, it is essential that children and young people aged 12 to 15 and their parents are supported in their decisions, no matter what decisions they make, and are not stigmatized for accepting or not accepting an offer of vaccination. Individual choice must be respected.”

The JCVI has yet to announce its decision on another key element of the government’s winter plan, about the prevalence of the third (booster) vaccinations. It is understood that the commission has made its decision, and the news is imminent.

Ministers have already said they will embark on some form of a booster programme, expected to target those who are elderly or those with clinical impairment.

Boris Johnson is due to lay out his plan to combat Covid during the winter on Tuesday, including a press conference, and the decision on reinforcements is supposed to be announced by the JCVI before then.

The third injection has already been approved for people with weakened immune systems, numbering about 500,000.

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