Evidence still coming in on Covid jabs for children

THE UK’s four chief medical officers are to consider further evidence on offering jabs to all healthy 12 to 15-year-olds after advisers decided against recommending a mass roll-out.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced that it is widening the jabs programme to more children in this age bracket who have underlying health conditions.

But it is not recommending vaccination of all 12 to 15-yearolds, despite ministers indicating they favoured a broader programme.

COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children aged between 12 and 15 are not being recommended by the Government’s vaccine advisers.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced that it is widening the so-far limited rollout to more children in this age bracket who have underlying health conditions.

But it is not recommending mass vaccination of children aged between 12 and 15.

The programme is being extended from what had been considered the most at-risk children to include children with chronic major heart, lung, kidney, liver and neurological conditions.

It means about 200,000 more children will be invited for vaccines.

The decision comes exactly a week after the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed preparations were under way to ensure the NHS was ready to offer coronavirus jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds in England from early September.

The department said it wanted to be “ready to hit the ground running”.

Meanwhile, the Government has been urged to “get on” with a coronavirus booster programme rather than wait for advice from vaccine experts.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared to confirm that a rollout would begin this month, saying older people were the priority as autumn and winter approached.

But the JCVI is yet to provide a recommendation on boosters.

The committee’s deputy chairman, Professor Anthony Harnden, said this week that it was “highly likely” there would be a booster programme, but a final decision had not been made.

He said the committee was awaiting the results of the Cov-Boost study, which was looking at different vaccines to see what immune responses they gave and whether jabs could be mixed and matched. That data is expected next week.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that just a few days in a pandemic could make “a big difference”, as he urged politicians to go ahead rather than wait for the JCVI advice.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday: “I understand why scientists are taking their time but I think in a pandemic politicians can also read the runes and see the direction of travel.”

He added: “In a pandemic I think even a few days can make a big difference. So I think we should just get on, not wait for that advice – get on with a booster programme.”

Prof Harnden said there was “very complicated modelling and data analysis” going on to decide who should get a booster and when, adding experts did not want to jab people too soon and then be unable to do so again if a new variant emerged.

Professor Saul Faust, chief investigator of the Cov-Boost trial, said it had always been due to report next week, adding that he found it “hard to understand the timing” of comments being made on the topic.

He said: “These data will be available to JCVI and the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) next week, immediately after the data arrives from the laboratories and has been formally analysed by the trial team.”