Less need to vaccinate children if more adults have their jabs – professor

The more adults that get vaccinated, the less need there is to vaccinate children, a leading member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said.

Professor Adam Finn, from the University of Bristol, who is part of the body that will decide whether vaccinating children is necessary, has said that a decision on whether to jab youngsters is a “hard call”.

On Tuesday, he tweeted: “Vaccination achieves 2 things. It reduces your risk of getting sick with COVID & it reduces the chance you’ll infect others. If more adults get vaccinated there’ll be less need to immunise healthy children who have very low risk of getting sick but badly need schools to stay open.”

It comes after vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told LBC radio that the “infrastructure is ready” to vaccinate children and teenagers but the decision lays with the JCVI.

Adults who have received Covid-19 vaccine
(PA Graphics)

Mr Zahawi said he has two 24-year-old children who are getting vaccinated and an eight-year-old daughter who he would “definitely” get protected if she was 12 or 13.

He added that “vaccines are unbelievably safe”.

Last week, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.

Moderna has also applied for authorisation for its jab to be used in those aged 12 to 17.

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