LONDON (AP) – Britain’s medical authorities on Monday recommended vaccination against the coronavirus for children between the ages of 12 and 15, despite government advisers on the issue of vaccines saying it would have minimal benefits for the population. Health.
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Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, and his counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said Monday that that age group should receive a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. However, they have not yet decided whether it is appropriate to apply a second dose.
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The government has indicated that the recommendations are highly likely to be followed. Vaccination is expected to be part of a “kit of tools” to control COVID-19 infections in the coming fall and winter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to announce at a press conference on Tuesday.
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Johnson’s conservative government hopes that widespread vaccination, rather than restrictions, will help curb the spread of COVID-19.
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Other countries, including the United States, Canada, France and Italy, already offer coronavirus vaccines for children 12 and older, but Britain has held back. British authorities are already inoculating the population aged 16 and over, and about 90% of the eligible population has received at least one vaccine.
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Earlier this month, Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization indicated that the vaccines should be given to children between the ages of 12 and 15 with underlying health conditions. But he fell short of endorsing vaccination for healthy children, who are at low risk of becoming seriously ill if they contract the virus, stressing that the direct health benefits were minimal.
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However, he added that there could be broader social factors to consider, such as education or children being sources of transmission for more vulnerable groups.
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