The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised the Covid vaccine rollout should be extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds after reviewing the latest data.
Ministers have accepted the recommendation and the NHS is making preparations to start giving first doses to about 1.4 million children.
Sixteen-year-olds will be offered a first coronavirus jab in the coming weeks and will not need the consent of their parents to get a vaccine.
Officials close to the programme said that under current UK guidance, if a child is able to understand the risks and benefits of any medical treatment then they can legally give consent without their parents’ say-so.
The child or young person’s consent is considered the most appropriate consent, even if a parent disagrees.
Vaccination experts are yet to set out the timeline for when youngsters should get their second dose, and will make further recommendations in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, a group of MPs has warned chaos is leaving the UK “dangerously exposed” to new Covid variants.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus has called on the government to take urgent action to prevent new Covid variants entering the UK, ahead of the next review of the travel list expected to be announced tomorrow.
It comes following a warning from the Immigration Services Union, which represents border force staff, that passengers from red list countries who have transited via a green or amber list nation are still mixing with other arrivals. Border force staff shortages due to Covid are also reportedly leading to long queues at airports.
