In the US and elsewhere, millions of 12-15 year olds have had the jab. The UK’s delayed approach seems overly cautious
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announced this week that everyone in the UK aged 16 and 17 should be offered the Covid-19 vaccine. Just two weeks ago, it said the vaccine wouldn’t be offered to non-vulnerable people aged 12-17. The change in position is welcome, but the reasons for the committee’s two-week delay, and its decision to not extend the vaccine to 12- 15-year-olds, are unclear. Unlike the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the committee has offered no quantitative analysis of the risks associated with vaccinating people in this younger age group.
Delaying the rollout of the vaccine to adolescents is risky. Recent figures show that 1% of 10-19s were being diagnosed with Covid-19 a week. Waiting for further data on vaccine safety when infections are ripping through younger age groups isn’t cautious, it’s reckless.