Covid: Expert fears 'stigmatising' of anti-vaccine parents

Younger teenagers are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations

Parents should be tolerant of differing views when it comes to children being vaccinated against Covid-19, an expert has said.

Professor Adam Finn said he fears there could be stigma associated with not getting children immunised.

About three million children in the UK are now eligible for the jab.

Prof Finn, a member of the committee that advises the government, says there are strong views on both sides of the debate.

A paediatrics expert at the University of Bristol, he sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Prof Finn said said the decision on whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds is not black and white, adding that while it is not "essential" for them to be jabbed, it is also "perfectly sensible" for them to do so.

The chief medical officers of the four nations of the UK recently recommended that younger teenagers should be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

• Which children can be vaccinated?

• What difference will jabbing teenagers make?

The decision to go ahead came after the JCVI decided not to recommend mass vaccination of that age group on health grounds alone.

But they suggested that wider issues, such as disruption to education, should be taken into consideration.

'Very strong views'

Prof Finn was asked by Times Radio about possible stigma when it comes to parents deciding not to have their children vaccinated.

He said "I absolutely do fear that. I've had a lot of people contact me with very strong views.

"Either that they insist that they wish their children to be immunised without delay, or that they would rather die than have their children immunised, so there are plenty of people out there with very strong views."

He added: "Parents who have their children immunised should be tolerant of those that decide not to and vice versa because the stakes are not high on either side."