JCVI not recommending mass vaccination for all 12 to 15-year-olds

JCVI not recommending mass vaccination for all 12 to 15-year-olds
Gerlis vaccine kids
Josh Kaplan

By Josh Kaplan


Published: 03/09/2021

- 15:42

Updated: 03/09/2021

- 16:09

But more children with pre-existing conditions will be invited for jabs

Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children aged between 12 and 15 are not being recommended by the Government’s vaccine advisers.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced that it is widening the so-far limited rollout to more children in this age bracket who have underlying health conditions.


But it is not recommending mass vaccination of children aged between 12 and 15.

In a statement, the JCVI said: "The available evidence indicates that the individual health benefits from COVID-19 vaccination are small in those aged 12 to 15 years who do not have underlying health conditions which put them at risk of severe COVID-19.

"The potential risks from vaccination are also small, with reports of post-vaccination myocarditis being very rare, but potentially serious and still in the process of being described.

Kevin Mckeon, 14, receives his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from vaccinator Geraldine Flynn at the Citywest vaccination centre in Dublin. Vaccinations of children and teenagers is underway across Ireland, with more than 23 percent of those aged 12 to 15 registered to receive the jab. Picture date: Saturday August 14, 2021.
Kevin Mckeon, 14, receives his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from vaccinator Geraldine Flynn at the Citywest vaccination centre in Dublin. Vaccinations of children and teenagers is underway across Ireland, with more than 23 percent of those aged 12 to 15 registered to receive the jab. Picture date: Saturday August 14, 2021.
Damien Storan

"Overall, the committee is of the opinion that the benefits from vaccination are marginally greater than the potential known harms but acknowledges that there is considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the potential harms. The margin of benefit, based primarily on a health perspective, is considered too small."

However, the vaccine programme is still being extended from what had been considered the most at-risk children, to include children with chronic major heart, lung, kidney, liver and neurological conditions.

It means about 200,000 more children will be invited for vaccines.

The decision comes exactly a week after the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed preparations were under way to ensure the NHS was ready to offer coronavirus jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds in England from early September.

The department said they wanted to be “ready to hit the ground running”.

You may like