Children aged 5-11 to be offered Covid vaccine

The roll-out will begin in April, with at least a 12-week gap in between doses

All children in Jersey aged five to 11 will soon be offered two Covid-19 vaccines.

The move follows recent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the Government of Jersey said.

Vulnerable children in the age group have already been called up for the vaccine.

The wider roll-out was expected to start in April, with at least a 12-week gap between doses, the government said.

The vaccination programme for children aged five to 11 will be a delivered at Fort Regent so that parents and carers could be with their child when they were receiving the vaccine, it added.

Impacts 'considered'

It follows the decision to vaccinate vulnerable five to 11-year-olds.

The government said the latest evidence suggested offering the vaccine ahead of another potential wave would protect some children from serious illness and hospitalisation.

It would also provide some protection against infection among the rest of the age group, it added.

It said it was still "vital" that children continued to receive childhood vaccinations as normal, and that this recommendation should not displace the delivery of non-Covid-19 jabs.

The deputy medical officer of health, Dr Ivan Muscat, said doctors and scientists had carefully considered the potential direct health impacts of vaccination, as well as potential impacts on the overall wellbeing - including education - in the age group.

He said: "I would like to reassure all parents and carers that the Covid-19 vaccine for children is very safe and effective.

"In the US, there have been over eight million doses given in five to 11-year-olds and no new safety concerns have been identified.

"Known side-effects are reported less frequently in this age group, compared to adolescents and young adults", he said.