COVID-19 vaccines now available for five to 11-year olds in England

pharmafile | April 4, 2022 | News story | Sales and Marketing  

Parents and carers of five to 11-year olds in England can now book a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine for their children. The jabs can be booked online and from hundreds of sites from Monday 4th.

The UK’s vaccine advisers said the jabs would help “future-proof children’s defences” against infections. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are already offering the jabs.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said that vaccines should be administered to children to prevent “a very small number of children from serious illness and hospitalisation” due to COVID-19. The body recommends two doses of the low-dose vaccine, 12 weeks apart, with some five million children now eligible.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Children without underlying health conditions are at low risk of serious illness from Covid, and the priority remains for the NHS to offer vaccines and spring boosters to adults and vulnerable young people, as well as to catch up with other childhood immunisation programmes.”

Almost seven in 10 of those aged 12 or over in the UK have had a booster, while 9 in 10 have had a single jab, and more than 8 in 10 have had a second dose. Despite over 38 million boosters, or third doses being administered so far, more people are being encouraged to get their vaccine.

The JCVI has also said that a fourth COVID-19 jab is not yet needed because data shows, three months after a booster shot, people aged 65 and over still have about 90% protection against hospitalisation.

Lina Adams

Related Content

No items found

Latest content