In the next few weeks, a 16-year-old child will receive the first coronavirus injection without parental consent. vaccine.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) recommends that after reviewing the latest data, the extension should be extended to 16- and 17-year-olds.
The ministers accepted the suggestion and National Health Service It is preparing to start the first dose of approximately 1.4 million children.
Vaccination experts have not yet determined the timetable for when the second dose of vaccine should be given and will make further recommendations in the coming weeks.
Officials close to the plan said that according to current guidance in the UK, if children can understand the risks and benefits of any medical treatment, they can legally give their consent without parental consent.
Even if the parents disagree, the consent of the child or young person is considered the most appropriate consent.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) Covid-19 Chair Professor Wei Shen Lim confirmed that 16-year-old children can be vaccinated without parental consent.
“In the UK, people 16 years and older are considered to be able to give consent for themselves, and if they are capable and able to give consent for themselves, then the consent is established,” he said.
It is understood that officials do not rule out vaccinating other healthy children between 12 and 15 years old, but hope to see more information first.
Currently, children over 12 years of age are only eligible for vaccinations if they suffer from certain diseases and face the following risks. Coronavirus-19 or adolescents living with people with weakened immune function.
Some commentators welcomed the action taken against older teenagers, saying that expanding the vaccine program would help reduce infection rates and the spread of the virus, and curb interference with school education.
Children will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which has been approved for use in the UK for people 12 years of age and older.
Experts have been constantly reviewing data on childhood vaccines.
Information that prompted them to reconsider their stance on vaccinations for 16- and 17-year-olds included the recent surge in infections, more data on vaccine safety, and excellent progress in adult vaccination programs.
JCVI stated that many factors have been considered, but the most important factor is the risk/benefit of vaccination to individuals.
Before reaching its conclusion, JCVI stated that it considered factors such as potential adverse reactions after vaccination, the frequency and severity of severe Covid in children and adolescents, the occurrence of long-term Covid in children, and the impact of Covid on mental health and education. .
Experts from JCVI and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) constantly review vaccine safety reports from the UK and abroad.
They said they considered some reports of heart inflammation in young people who had received injections, but officials said it was considered “extremely rare” and affected approximately one in 100,000 people who were vaccinated. And the effect is “mild” and the recovery period is short.
Children who have been vaccinated in clinical trials and real-world data have shown that some children experience short-term side effects after vaccination, including fever, sore arms, headaches and fatigue.
The NHS will soon formulate a rollout plan for this plan.
Professor Jonathan Van Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of England, said that expanding the vaccination program to 16 and 17-year-olds “has no time to waste”.
He added that he believes it is “fully achievable” to deliver the first batch of jabs within a term of office.
He said at the press conference: “The children will be returning to university and sixth grade starting in September. In Scotland, this time will be a little earlier, so there is no time to waste on this.”
“Now we have JCVI recommendations for starting the first dose in 16- and 17-year-old children, and then I hope we do it as soon as possible.
“It won’t be tomorrow, I don’t think it will be possible earlier next week.”
He added: “The NHS has been informed about what the JCVI is considering. It has been preparing for multiple options for many weeks. I expect the program to begin in a few short weeks.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that after listening to JCVI’s expert advice, he supports vaccinating 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds.
He said: “We should listen to them (JCVI) and take the lead from them.”
