Almost six million children in the UK aged 5-11 are to be offered a Covid-19 vaccination after officials said the jabs could protect them against future waves of the virus.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said that children should be offered a low-dose Covid jab on a “non-urgent” basis, with the rollout in England expected to start in April.
School leaders have welcomed the move but questioned why it is being done on a non-urgent basis, given the level of Covid disruption in primary schools.
Youngsters will be offered two 10 microgram doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with an interval of at least 12 weeks between doses.
The paediatric dose is a third of the strength of an adult dose after research showed that the immune response from a lower dose in those aged 5-11 is just as good as a full dose for 16- to 25-year-olds.
Scotland and Wales have already announced their intention to follow the JCVI guidance and offer coronavirus vaccinations to younger children, with England and Northern Ireland now following suit.
The JCVI said that, while the virus does not pose a threat to most children, a very small number who are infected will develop serious disease.
The move will also provide some short-term protection against mild infection across the age group, it said.
Vaccine ‘safe and effective’ for children
Health secretary Sajid Javid said: “I have accepted the advice from the independent JCVI to make a non-urgent offer of Covid-19 vaccines to all children aged 5-11 in England.
“The NHS is already offering vaccines to at-risk children and those who live with immunosuppressed people in this age group.
“The JCVI advice follows a thorough review by our independent medicines regulator, the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), which approved Pfizer’s paediatric vaccine as safe and effective for children aged 5-11.
“Children without underlying health conditions are at low risk of serious illness from Covid-19 and the priority remains for the NHS to offer vaccines and boosters to adults and vulnerable young people, as well as to catch up with other childhood immunisation programmes.
“The NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April so parents can, if they want, take up the offer to increase protection against potential future waves of Covid-19 as we learn to live with this virus.”
Health impacts ‘carefully considered’
The JCVI said the recommendation “should not displace the delivery of other non-Covid-19 childhood vaccinations”, some of which have been disrupted as a result of the pandemic.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chairman of Covid-19 immunisation on the JCVI, said: “The committee has carefully considered the potential direct health impacts of vaccination and potential indirect educational impacts.
“The main purpose of offering vaccination to 5- to 11-year-olds is to increase their protection against severe illness in advance of a potential future wave of Covid-19.”
The MHRA approved the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5-11 last year and it has been given to millions of children and teenagers worldwide.
There are an estimated 5.8 million 5- to 11-year-olds in the UK.
‘More urgency’ to help reduce disruption
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are pleased that the health secretary has accepted the advice of the JCVI that Covid vaccinations can be offered to all children aged 5-11 in England.
“Coronavirus infection rates among this age group have been very high in recent months, with a knock-on serious impact on both pupil and staff absence at primary schools.
“Making vaccinations available could help to reduce educational disruption in primary education and it seems an important step forward in how we live with Covid. Clearly, however, the decision on whether or not to take up the offer of a vaccination is entirely a matter for parents.
“We note that this is a non-urgent offer to be extended to all children in this age group during April. We would like to have seen a little more urgency, given the extent of the current disruption to the education of children in this age range.
“It’s also currently unclear as to whether or not primary schools will be expected to play a role in this vaccination programmes. We await further details on that.”
