UK OKs vaccines for 12 year olds, aims to avoid lockdowns

LONDON – Britain’s main aesculapian officers said Monday that children aged 12 to 15 should beryllium vaccinated against coronavirus, contempt a ruling by the government’s vaccine advisors that the measurement would person lone marginal wellness benefits.

England Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and his counterparts successful Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said Monday that the property radical should beryllium fixed a azygous dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They person yet to determine connected whether to springiness the students a 2nd dose.

The authorities has said it's highly apt to travel the recommendation. Expanded vaccinations are expected to beryllium portion of a “tool kit” to power COVID-19 infections this autumn and wintertime that Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to denote Tuesday astatine a quality conference.

Johnson's Conservative authorities is hoping that wide vaccinations, alternatively than restrictions, volition support COVID-19 infections successful check.

Other countries — including the United States, Canada, France and Italy — already connection coronavirus vaccines to children 12 and up, but Britain has held off. It is presently inoculating radical 16 and up, and astir 90% of those eligible person had astatine slightest 1 vaccine dose.

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Earlier this month, Britain's Joint Committee connected Vaccination and Immunization said vaccines should beryllium fixed to 12- to 15-year-olds with underlying wellness conditions. But it did not backmost a rollout to steadfast children, who are astatine debased hazard of superior unwellness from the virus, saying the nonstop wellness benefits were marginal.

However, it said determination mightiness beryllium wider societal factors to consider, specified arsenic connected acquisition oregon children acting arsenic sources of transmission to much susceptible groups.

The main aesculapian officers said it was “likely vaccination volition assistance trim transmission of COVID-19 successful schools” and they were recommending the vaccines connected nationalist wellness grounds.

In his roadworthy representation speech, Johnson is apt to denote that the authorities volition relinquish immoderate of the exigency powers Parliament gave it aft the pandemic began past year, including the authorization to unopen down businesses and schools, restrict gatherings and detain infectious people.

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The announcement of a caller microorganism roadworthy representation comes a twelvemonth aft Johnson resisted technological proposal to enactment the state into lockdown — lone to execute a U-turn wrong weeks arsenic coronavirus cases soared.

Virus cases present are 10 times the complaint of a twelvemonth ago, but vaccines are protecting galore Britons from superior illness. Still, the U.K. is signaling much than 100 coronavirus deaths a day, and astir 8,000 radical are hospitalized with COVID-19. That is little than a 4th of the wintertime peak, but the fig is climbing.

Johnson is expected to accidental that mask-wearing, work-from-home proposal and societal distancing rules that were lifted successful July could instrumentality if cases ascent further.

But his Conservative authorities is resisting tougher measures, unexpectedly shelving a program to present vaccine passports for nightclubs and different crowded venues.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Sunday that the vaccine passes, which person been introduced successful galore European countries and were owed to commencement successful England astatine the extremity of September, were a “huge intrusion into people’s lives.” He said the authorities would support the program “in reserve” but would not proceed with it close now.

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Johnson's spokesman, Max Blain, said nightclubs hadn't been linked to “significant cases oregon hospitalizations” since they reopened successful July aft much than a twelvemonth of closure.

“We are not seeing the exponential increases that immoderate had expected," helium said.

Some experts person argued for vaccine passports arsenic a mode to promote young radical to get vaccinated, though others accidental compelling vaccination, alternatively than encouraging it, could summation hesitancy. The measurement was opposed arsenic a burdensome imposition by galore successful the amusement industry, and met governmental absorption connected civilian liberties grounds from immoderate Conservative lawmakers and the absorption Liberal Democrats.

The government’s determination applies successful England. Scotland, which sets its ain wellness policy, plans to present vaccine passports for crowded venues adjacent month.

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