Children aged 12 and over are set to be offered their coronavirus vaccine from tomorrow if they are classified as vulnerable or if they live with someone who is at high risk.
Mirror Online reports the government has confirmed a plan to begin vaccinating children against Covid-19, with kids aged 12 to 15 who are at increased risk of serious coronavirus disease being offered the Pfizer jab if they and their parents consent.
That includes those with severe neurodisabilities, Down’s syndrome, a suppressed immune system or severe learning disabilities.
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Any 12 to 17 year olds who live with a family member who is immunosuppressed will also be offered a jab.
Children aged 16 or 17 with such conditions already qualified under the existing rollout.
All children who are 17, but turn 18 in less than three months, will also be offered the jab immediately. This is to ensure those who are the youngest in their school year have been vaccinated by the time they enter the workforce or start university.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) decided to not yet expand vaccinations to otherwise well under-18s because of concerns about a small number of cases of heart inflammation in children.
It comes days after the government confirmed all over-18s have now been offered a first dose of the vaccine.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Young people aged 12 to 15 with severe neuro-disabilities, Down’s Syndrome, immunosuppression and multiple or severe learning disabilities, as well as people who are household contacts of individuals who are immunosuppressed, will be eligible for vaccination soon.
“Our independent medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for people aged 12 and over as it meets their robust standards of safety, effectiveness and quality.
“Today’s advice does not recommend vaccinating under-18s without underlying health conditions at this point in time. “But the JCVI will continue to review new data, and consider whether to recommend vaccinating under-18s without underlying health conditions at a future date.
“I encourage everybody who is eligible to get their jabs as soon as they can.”
Data from trials and countries such as the US, where children are already being jabbed, indicate one in every 20,000 children experience myocarditis after a Covid jab.
This sees the heart muscle become inflamed. It can enlarge and weaken the heart, create scar tissue and force the heart to work harder to circulate blood and oxygen around the body.
More cases of myocarditis have been seen in younger children who have the lowest risk from Covid-19.
Currently the JCVI does not have enough data to show the risk from Covid is greater for children than the risk of this complication.
Fewer than 30 children in the UK have died after developing Covid-19 and analysis shows most, if not all, had underlying health conditions.
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