Covid-19 vaccine offered to children aged five to 11 in Northern Ireland

All children aged between five and 11 in Northern Ireland are to be offered vaccinations against Covid-19.

The announcement by Stormont's Department of Health follows the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Some children in this age group began receiving Covid vaccines in December.

But until now, jabs were only available to children with health conditions that put them at increased risk or those who live with an immunosuppressed patient.

Following the updated JCVI advice, all five to 11-year-old children in Northern Ireland will be offered two vaccine doses, to be administered at least 12 weeks apart.

The injections will be 10-microgram doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine.

The paediatric dose is a third of the strength of an adult dose.

Expert advice

The announcement comes after Wales, Scotland and England also announced they would be following JCVI guidance.

• Wales becomes first UK nation to offer jabs to younger children

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Health Minister Robin Swann said: "As has always been the case, our vaccination programme will continue to be guided by the expert advice.

"This announcement by the JCVI underlines the important role that the Covid-19 vaccines plays in protecting people of all ages and has only been taken after rigorous assessment of both safety and effectiveness."

Health trusts would work with the Public Health Agency to put the advice into operation and further details of the roll-out would be released shortly, he added.

The JCVI said: "This advice on the offer of vaccination to 5 to 11-year-olds who are not in a clinical risk group is considered by JCVI as a one-off pandemic response programme.

"As the Covid-19 pandemic moves further towards endemicity in the UK, JCVI will review whether, in the longer term, an offer of vaccination to this, and other paediatric age groups, continues to be advised."

The deaths of five more people who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 were reported in Northern Ireland on Wednesday, along with another 2,889 confirmed cases of the virus.

On Wednesday morning there were 474 Covid-19 patients in hospital, 12 of whom were in intensive care.