UK says no decision yet on Covid-19 vaccine for 12 to 15 year olds

BRITAIN'S Health Department said it has not made any decision on Covid-19 vaccines for 12 to 15 year olds after the Telegraph reported the National Health Service (NHS) planned vaccinations from the first week children return to school in September.

"No decisions have been made on vaccinating 12-15 year olds and it is inaccurate to suggest otherwise," the department said in an emailed statement late on Wednesday (25).

NHS trusts were told to prepare for the "possible rollout of a 12 to 15-year-old healthy child vaccination programme commencing Sept. 6", the newspaper reported, citing emails sent by NHS England's regional offices.

Health officials said children would not need parental consent to be vaccinated under the school vaccination programme, the newspaper reported without identifying the officials.

"Ministers have not yet received further advice from the JCVI on this cohort. We continue to plan for a range of scenarios to ensure we are prepared for all eventualities," the Health Department said in its statement, referring to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Meanwhile, the British public's view of the government's management of the coronavirus crisis has turned negative for the first time since February and they are worried about the risk of a new wave of infections, according to a survey published on Thursday (26).

Against a backdrop of a renewed rise in cases caused by the Delta variant of the virus, Kantar Public said 48 per cent of people it polled thought the government was handling Covid-19 poorly, up three points from July, while 43 per cent said it was doing well, down six points.

Two-thirds of respondents were concerned that there would be further waves of Covid-19 infections after the summer compared with 28 per cent who were not concerned.

Britain has suffered one of the world's heaviest Covid-19 death tolls and it locked down its economy for longer than many other countries last year, and in early 2021.

But it has also rolled out vaccinations at a faster rate than its peers which boosted the approval ratings of prime minister Boris Johnson and his government earlier this year.

The Kantar poll also showed a fall this month in the share of people who expected the economy would be doing better in 12 months' time - down seven percentage points to 30 per cent.

(Reuters)