UK ministers vote against mass vaccination of adolescents – The Telegraph

July 17 (Reuters) – Britain opted against mass COVID-19 vaccinations for all children and adolescents, with ministers instead preparing to offer doses to vulnerable young people aged 12 to 15 and those on the point of turning 18, the Telegraph Saturday newspaper reported late.

The Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization (JCVI) has reportedly advised ministers against rolling out vaccines to all children until new evidence on the risks becomes available, the report adds.

According to the journal’s guidelines, which are expected to be released on Monday, doses of the vaccine will be offered to children between the ages of 12 and 15 who are deemed vulnerable to COVID-19 or who live with adults who are immunocompromised or otherwise vulnerable to the virus.

They will also now be offered to all 17-year-olds within three months of their 18th birthday, according to The Telegraph, which reported that the committee would keep the option of immunizing all children “under study”.

In response to the report, the UK Department of Health said “no decision has been made by ministers on whether people aged 12 to 17 should be routinely offered COVID-19 vaccines “.

Britain reported 54,674 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, an increase from the 51,870 new cases reported the previous day to post a new daily total for the highest in six months. Read more

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is removing most pandemic restrictions in England from July 19, saying a rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has largely broken the link between infections and serious illness or death. Read more

Britain’s COVID-19 death toll is among the highest in the world, but two-thirds of its adult population have been fully vaccinated.

Report by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Nick Zieminski

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