JCVI is urged to decide ‘quickly’ over jabs for 12-15s

Scotland will be “ready to go” with a Covid vaccination programme for 12 to 15-year-olds as soon as experts give the go-ahead for them to be jagged, the country’s national clinical director has said.

Jason Leitch made the commitment as the first minister urged the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to make a decision “quickly” on whether youngsters in the age group should receive the injections.

With schools having returned in Scotland earlier in August, Nicola Sturgeon stressed the importance of a decision being made on whether to vaccinate more secondary school pupils.

Teenagers aged 16 and 17 are already being given the Pfizer vaccine, in line with JCVI advice.

Ms Sturgeon, speaking at a Scottish Government coronavirus briefing, said: “I really hope that the JCVI feel that the evidence allows them very, very soon to recommend vaccination for all 12 to 17-year-olds.”

Mr Leitch added: “We are ready for when that advice comes, the vaccination programme is ready to go.”

Ms Sturgeon said “ideally” a decision on this would have been taken in time to allow secondary school pupils to get vaccinated before going back to school after summer.

She noted: “Scottish schools go back earlier than elsewhere in the UK and I would have ideally liked that to have been the case before our schools go back, but the sooner we get to that point where the JCVI feels the evidence allows them to make that recommendation, I hope they do that quickly.”