UK Prepares COVID-19 Vaccination Program For Children 12-15 Years Old With Pfizer Vaccine

Illustration of vaccination in children. (Wikimedia Commons/SELF Magazine)

JAKARTA - All 12 to 15-year-olds in the UK will be offered a COVID-19 vaccine, after a leading medical adviser said on Monday children would benefit from less disruption to their education.

The UK government confirmed that the offer would be made to all 12-15 year olds following a unanimous recommendation from the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of the four UK countries.

"I have received recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer to extend vaccination to those aged 12 to 15, protect young people from contracting COVID-19, reduce transmission in schools and keep pupils in the classroom," Health Minister Sajid Javid said in a statement. , citing Reuters Tuesday, September 14.

Delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine to children in the UK will begin next week. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own health policies, although each of the delegated administrations received the same advice from their respective CMOs.

The CMO recommended that children aged 12-15 in the UK get their first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) earlier this month decided against making the recommendation.

Children will be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Vulnerable children in this age group are eligible for injections.

Previously, the United States, Israel and several European countries have rolled out vaccinations for children more broadly, putting pressure on the British government to follow suit.

There have been more than 134,000 deaths from coronavirus in the UK, and the rapid start to vaccination rollout has slowed, with 81 per cent of those over 16 having received two doses of the vaccine.

JCVI previously said the decision to vaccinate children was very balanced as the government then asked for further advice on the matter.

The CMO said in a letter that vaccinating children can reduce transmission of COVID-19 and reduce disruption to education. Those benefits in balance provide enough extra benefits to recommend supporting vaccinating this group."

"(The vaccinations) will reduce educational disruptions," Chris Whitty, Britain's chief medical officer, told a news conference.

"We don't think this is a panacea, no silver bullet. But we do think it is an important and potentially useful additional tool, to help reduce the public health impact that comes through educational disruption."

The CMO said the second dose would not be offered to the age group until at least spring as they would wait for more data from around the world.