World News | UK OKs Vaccines for 12 Year Olds, Aims to Avoid Lockdowns
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Britain's chief medical officers said Monday that children aged 12 to 15 should be vaccinated against coronavirus, despite a ruling by the government's vaccine advisors that the step would have only marginal health benefits.
London, Sep 13 (AP) Britain's chief medical officers said Monday that children aged 12 to 15 should be vaccinated against coronavirus, despite a ruling by the government's vaccine advisors that the step would have only marginal health benefits.
England Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and his counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland said Monday that the age group should be given a single dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They have yet to decide on whether to give the students a second dose.
The government has said it's highly likely to follow the recommendation. Expanded vaccinations are expected to be part of a “tool kit” to control COVID-19 infections this fall and winter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to announce Tuesday at a news conference.
Johnson's Conservative government is hoping that widespread vaccinations, rather than restrictions, will keep COVID-19 infections in check.
Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine for Children: UK Medical Officers Give Nod to Vaccines for Adolescents Aged 12 to 15 Years.
Other countries — including the United States, Canada, France and Italy — already offer coronavirus vaccines to children 12 and up, but Britain has held off. It is currently inoculating people 16 and up, and almost 90% of those eligible have had at least one vaccine dose. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)