The Covid-19 vaccine is to be made available to all children in England aged 5 to 11, the government has announced.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said he has accepted the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommended that two small doses of the Pfizer vaccine be offered to this age group, separated by a 12-week interval.
The rollout will be “non-urgent”, given the low risk posed by Covid to young children, and is set to start in April, health officials said.
The JCVI said its recommendation should not disrupt or displace the delivery of other childhood vaccinations, with coverage against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) slipping throughout the pandemic.
Both Scotland and Wales have already announced their intention to enforce the JCVI’s advice, breaking rank with Downing Street, which has taken longer than usual to consider and accept the policy. Northern Ireland has said it will follow suit.
It’s understood that the JCVI delivered its recommendation to ministers more than a week ago, only for the announcement to be delayed after No 10 planned to unveil the policy as part of its “Living with Covid” strategy, before later reversing its position.
The NHS is already offering the Pfizer vaccine, which has been formally approved for children by the UK medicines regulator, to at-risk 5- to 11-year-olds and those who live with immunosuppressed people in this age group.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of Covid-19 immunisation on the JCVI, said: “The committee has carefully considered the potential direct health impacts of vaccination and potential indirect educational impacts.
“The main purpose of offering vaccination to 5-11-year-olds is to increase their protection against severe illness in advance of a potential future wave of Covid-19.
“Other important childhood vaccinations, such as MMR and HPV, have fallen behind due to the pandemic. It is vital these programmes continue and are not displaced by the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine to this age group.”
Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, said the policy was “future proofing” young children against potential upsurges in Covid activity in the autumn and the prospect of new variants.
However, he said “this is not an emergency [vaccine] programme”, adding that the rollout of doses among young children “must not be rushed”.
Prof Wei Shen said deployment teams would be advised to engage with children, parents and caregivers about getting vaccinated, while Mr Javid said the jab would be available to all 5- to 11-year-olds “if they want” it.
This group will be offered 10-microgram doses of the Pfizer vaccine – a third of the amount used for adults, the JCVI said.
