Covid: Isle of Man to offer children aged 12 to 15 single vaccine dose

About 87% of the eligible adult population have now had both doses of a vaccine

Children aged between 12 and 15 on the Isle of Man are to be offered a Covid-19 vaccine, the government has said.

Those eligible will be offered a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a spokeswoman confirmed.

It comes after the UK's four chief medical officers recommended the roll-out to reduce the spread of the virus in schools.

Meanwhile, about 40,000 people are to be offered a booster jab to help increase immunity against the virus.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said although children were less likely to become seriously ill with the virus, there was a risk they could become unwell or require hospital treatment.

Offering the vaccine would help to prevent further disruption to children's education, he added.

Parental consent will be required in most cases before the jab can be administered.

The booster jabs will be rolled out to those over 50, front-line health and care workers, those with underlying health conditions and those who live with an immunosuppressed person.

The roll-out has been planned ahead of the winter, when people are more likely to gather indoors and respiratory viruses are more common.

A government spokesman said it would begin in the next few weeks.

A decision on whether those with severely weakened immune systems who have already been offered a third primary vaccination will also be offered a booster will reviewed following the roll-out of those jabs.

Almost 90% of eligible adults on the island have now received one dose, with about 87% having been given both jabs.