Scientists are urging reluctant parents to get their children jabbed even if they have already had Covid.
It comes as the National Education Union says one in 22 youngsters had the disease last week – and rates for 10 to 14-year-olds spiralled to 1,500 in 100,000.
Medical experts are unsure how much natural immunity is built up by being infected.
Independent SAGE’s Dr Helen Salisbury of Oxford University said: “We don’t know the answer. I urge children to get vaccinated.”
Some parents are worried that rare dangerous side effects from the jab will outweigh the risk of infection because children generally have only mild symptoms.
But a report by the British Society of Immunology says: “Protection tends to be lower in people who were only mildly ill. And the immune system may not be able to recognise a viral variant.”
Only a tenth of 12-15 year olds have had a jab so far and 125,000 children were absent from school last week because they were isolating.
