JCVI decision against offering vaccine to all UK 12-15 year olds

[Fambo Number Mive]

Does seem a bit odd that we are taking a different position from other countries that have decided to vaccinate all 12-15 year olds, given we are fighting the same virus as them.

Given the vaccines reduce the chance of catching COVID, offering all 12-15 year olds the vaccine would have reduced the chance of children, teachers and their families catching COVID.

Another 200,000 12-15 year olds with underlying health conditions will be offered the vaccine however. Not sure if they will be offered both jabs or just one.

I presume the Government will go along with the JCVI decision. I wonder if we will end up U-turning on this and copying other countries like we did with masks and the initial lockdown (remember how Johnson delayed this).

What do you think of the JCVI decision?

[steveh]

AIUI it primarily considers the direct risks of vaccination versus the benefits, from which they conclude there's only a marginal benefit. It doesn't consider things like onward transmission from children in that age group to others, although the Chief Medical Officers for the four nations could decide differently and take that into account. Also doesn't consider longer-lasting symptoms of having had it such as organ damage.

Statement is here. Also suggests that running the vaccination programme might be too disruptive to education.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Look, I thought he was great in Hard Target and Timecop but those are not reasons to put him in charge of medical decisions.

[Pinball]

Vaccinate all the little germ bags, I say.

[jamiefairlie]

The FDA expects to give go ahead for 5 and up before Christmas, so it's coming over here for sure.

[mothman]

My youngest is 12 in three weeks and has underlying health conditions... I want to say up the wazoo, but that's one part of her that's absolutely fine. I'm not sure we've really considered whether to let her, it's been such a remote far-off possibility the program might get round to people her age for so long that we've not assessed all the implications yet.

[buttgammon]

We're already vaccinating 12-15 year olds in Ireland which appears to be to minimise transmission in schools. I'm not sure what the take-up is, as there's been some concern that parents won't want their children to get it, but I've not heard of any problems so far.