WHY YOUNG TEENS HAVE TO BE GIVEN THE VACCINE

VACCINE chiefs have said they won’t be recommending giving all healthy 12- to 15-year-olds the Covid jab. While I respect their reasoning, I disagree with the decision.

Firstly, it’s a complicated message from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which said on Friday that because Covid poses a small risk to youngsters’ health, the benefits of vaccination DID outweigh the minuscule potential harms, but not by enough.

I worry this makes it look as if the jab is risky for kids, which it just isn’t. The committee also admitted it didn’t look at the wider impacts of catching Covid, such as loss of education and isolation, which are vital considerations as the impact on mental health is huge. But the JCVI said this left the door open for the Chief Medical Officers, and the Government, to make the final call. I sincerely hope they push ahead. Our kids have lost enough and the vaccine is their way out of this too.