The UK’s vaccine rollout will be extended to all teenagers aged between the ages of 16 and 17 ‘within weeks’, it has been confirmed.
All children within this age group can now legally consent to having the jab and will not need their parents’ permission to do so.
Until now, only 16 to 17-year-olds with underlying health conditions were eligible to receive a vaccine.
But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) today confirmed that teens within this age group, who are otherwise healthy, will also be offered a first dose of the Pfizer jab.
Experts stressed that the benefits of giving the vaccine to teenagers in this age group ‘outweigh the potential harms’.
It is not yet known how long they will have to wait until they can receive a second dose but experts will make further recommendations in the coming weeks.
The advice for younger children, aged between 12 to 15, remains unchanged.
Only children within this age group who have underlying health conditions, or live in a household with someone who is immunocompromised, are advised to get the Pfizer vaccine.
‘There is no time to waste’ in vaccinating 16-17 year olds, says JVT
However, is is understood that officials suggested the advice for all 12 to 15-year-olds may change in the coming months after analysing more data.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said there was ‘no time to waste’ in extending the vaccine rollout to 16 and 17-year-olds and expects it will start in a ‘very short number of weeks’.
The deputy chief medical officer told a No 9 Downing Street press briefing: ‘Children are going to start going back to colleges and sixths forms from September, and in Scotland that will be slightly earlier, so there is no time to waste in getting on with this.
‘I want us to proceed as fast as is practically possible. That isn’t going to be tomorrow, I don’t think it is likely to be early next week.’
Prof Van-Tam added that he would be ‘very much in favour’ of his two youngest children being vaccinated if they were aged 16 to 17, adding: ‘I’m a strong believer that [vaccines] are changing how we can learn to live in a much more normal way with Covid-19 for the foreseeable future.’
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for the JCVI, said: ‘While Covid-19 is typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be very unpleasant for some and for this particular age group, we expect one dose of the vaccine to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.’
The UK’s vaccine rollout will now be extended to younger age groupsm (Picture: Reuters)
Information which led the JCVI to extend the rollout included the recent surge of infections, new data on the safety of vaccines, and the excellent progress of the adult vaccination programme.
Clinical trials and real world data have found that some children get short-lived side effects after inoculation, including fever, sore arm, headache and tiredness.
Under current UK guidance, if a child is able to fully understand the risks and benefits of having the vaccine then they can legally give consent without their parents’ say-so.
Their consent is considered the most appropriate – even if a parent disagrees.
Prof Lim also urged young adults, aged 18 and above, to continue getting the vaccine.
Mr Lim told the press briefing: ‘I’m a chest physician. At the hospital that I work at, we are now seeing young people who are unvaccinated being admitted to hospital with quite severe Covid.
‘Many of them need oxygen support and sadly, some of them also need a ventilator machine to help them to breathe.
‘Much of that suffering can be prevented or reduced through vaccination.
‘So, my urge to adults who are 18 years and above, who are not yet vaccinated, is that you strongly consider booking your vaccine appointment, having the jab, and getting yourselves and your friends and family protected.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon both welcomed the update, with the latter saying her Government will ‘get on with offering it… ASAP’.
Ms Sturgeon added in a Tweet: ‘This is good news and a step forward that I’ve been hoping for. I also hope evidence will allow JCVI to recommend vaccine for wider groups of young people in future’.
Mr Johnson urged all families considering vaccinating their children to listen to the advice of experts.
He said: ‘They’re amongst the best if not the best in the world, they know what’s safe and I think we should listen to them and take our lead from them.’
Meanwhile, Welsh health minister Eluned Morgan said young people who are within three months of their 18th birthday were already being offered the vaccine in Wales.
He said the Welsh Government is now working with the NHS to extend the vaccine rollout in line with the JCVI’s latest advice.