Wales: Vaccinating 12-15 year-olds is ‘right thing to do’, says Plaid Cymru

Welsh political party Plaid Cymru says the vaccination of 12-15 year old children ‘is not an easy decision but I think it is the right thing to do.’

Following news that the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had not recommended the vaccination of 12-15 year old children, the Welsh government has said a final decision will be made on the guidance of Frank Atherton, Wales’ chief medical officer.

Plaid’s health spokesperson Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “You look at the impact the pandemic has had on the education of young people, the well-being of young people, plus also the impact that the widespread circulation of the virus among pupils has had on wider society, I think that we are moving toward a decision to, hopefully, where it will become universal over the age of 12.”

The JCVI’s decision had stated the margin of benefit “is considered too small to support universal vaccination” in children who did not have pre-existing conditions that made them more suspectable to Covid-19.

Wales’ chief medical officer is expected to announce the final decision for the country in the coming days.