Covid-19: Jabs to be offered to some under-18s in UK

The government has announced that certain groups of children and young people over the age of 12 and under the age of 18 are to be offered the coronavirus vaccine.

Up until now, all adults in the UK have been eligible to receive a Covid jab. 16 to 18-year-olds are being offered a Pfizer jab if they are in a priority group, or living with someone who is clinically vulnerable.

However, the new rules mean children aged 12-15 who are at a higher risk of being seriously ill with coronavirus, as well as those within that age group living with an adult with a weak immune system, can get a Pfizer vaccination. Those within three months of their 18th birthday without underlying health conditions can now also get the Pfizer jabs.

Certain groups of under-18s will now be able to get a Covid vaccine

It means around 370,000 children over the age of 12 will be able to be vaccinated. No vaccines are yet approved for use in the under-12s.

The advice comes as restrictions in England were eased on Monday, removing the legal requirement for face masks and social distancing. There were important changes to coronavirus rules made in Scotland and easing of some rules in Wales and Northern Ireland are expected within the next few weeks.

The vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi made a statement outlining the government's latest plans which follows recommendations given by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

He said that health ministers from all parts of the UK have accepted the advice and have requested the NHS to put it into action "as soon as possible".

"As we do this, we will be using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is the only vaccine in the UK that's been clinically authorised for people between the ages of 12 and 17."

Whether children aged 12-17 who fall outside of these particular groups will be offered the jab will be "kept under review", which means it could be changed at a later date. Under-12s will not currently be offered the vaccine, because no vaccine is currently approved for them.

"The steps we are taking mean we will be offering even more vulnerable people the protection that a vaccine brings and we will all be safer as a result," Mr Zahawi said.

Why have the rules around vaccines changed?

The government receives advice about who should be offered a coronavirus vaccine from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The committee has recommended that certain groups of children and young people should be offered vaccines to protect them against the coronavirus.

Why is there a debate about vaccinating under-18s?

There's been lots of discussion about whether people under the age of 18 in the UK should be offered the coronavirus vaccine.

Scientists have been trying to work out whether it's worth giving the vaccine to children when the risk of otherwise healthy children becoming seriously ill from Covid is very low.

But it's been argued that vaccinating children and young people is a good idea to help build up what's known as 'herd immunity', when a virus isn't able to spread as easily through a population because so many people are already protected.

It's believed this could help protect adults across the UK and the vulnerable who are most at risk of being negatively impacted by Covid, as well as helping to keep schools open.

Some people argue that these jabs should instead be given those who really need them, such as clinically vulnerable adults living in less wealthy parts of the world where it's more difficult to get access to a vaccine.

What else has been said?

There have been arguments both for and against children getting the vaccine

Although arguments have been put forward for vaccinating all children the JCVI looked at the evidence and decided that currently the benefits did not outweigh the risks of doing so.

The European Medicines Agency, who regulate the vaccines in the European Union, raised concerns about a very rare side-effect of the Pfizer and Moderna coronavirus jabs which can cause heart inflammation in some people.

The reports of the inflammation - known as myocarditis - in those who have had the jab are extremely rare. But it can be serious and this particular side-effect is more likely to affect younger men.

When looking at those eligible for the vaccine the JCVI expert committee considered the evidence and decided the benefits of the vaccine significantly outweighed the risks for 12-15 year olds who were vulnerable or lived with someone with a weak immune system.