Experts in the United Kingdom have said they are set to recommend all 16 and 17-year-olds should be offered a COVID vaccination, according to BBC.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) stopped short of making the move last month. The committee said it was still assessing the benefits and risks.
JCVI is an independent expert advisory committee that advises UK health departments on immunization, making recommendations concerning vaccination schedules and vaccine safety.
The experts said around 1.4 million teenagers will be included in the new distribution, but it is not known when the vaccination will start.
Vaccines are only offered to those who are above 12 but have underlying conditions or live with others at high risk.
However, some countries, including the United States, Canada, and France, have already started vaccinating people aged 12 and above.
Ministers in England are expected to accept the advice of the JCVI, according to Whitehall sources.
On Tuesday, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that she was “hoping” to receive updated guidance from the JCVI on the vaccination of 16 and 17-year-olds.
Sturgeon said the chief medical officers of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland had written to the committee, asking it to look again at vaccination guidance for young people.
Currently, the only COVID vaccine approved in the UK for under-18s is the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
In July, the JCVI updated its guidelines on COVID vaccination to children aged 12 and above who are at higher risk of getting sick and to those on the verge of turning 18, according to BBC.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Prof. Chris Whitty said the JCVI were confident vaccines would protect children to a high degree.
“More research was taking place as children do not tend to suffer severely from COVID,” he added, “and the experts wanted to ensure the benefits of the jab outweighed any potential risks.”
Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said, “With the JCVI apparently about to give the green light to vaccinating 16-year-olds, ministers need to ensure plans are in place to roll out this vital next stage of vaccination while ensuring parents have all the facts and information they need.”
A spokesperson of the Department of Health and Social Care said, “We continue to keep the vaccination of children and young people under review and will be guided by the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.”
In the UK, all people above 18 have now been offered a vaccination against coronavirus, with the latest government data showing that more than 88% have now had one dose of vaccine and 73% have had two shots. The article was published on BBC.
