Children as young as five could get Covid jab in spring, ‘leaked NHS plan says’
Children as young as five could be offered Covid jabs in the coming months under secret plans being drawn up by the NHS, according to reports.
Leaked proposals show health posses are preparing to jab children aged five to 11 next spring.
The US has already started vaccinating children as young as five, and Israel is expected to do the same within days.
But the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said ‘expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness’ must be met before expanding the vaccine rollout to under-12s.
And experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation must also give it the green-light if the plans are to go ahead.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said the the MHRA hadn’t even started looking at data for jabbing under-11s.
He told a press conference that the decision to go ahead would depend on the evidence presented.
But leaked proposals suggest the NHS are preparing to immunise children against Covid in the spring in case regulators do give them the green-light.
A senior source told the Sun: ‘Top secret plans reveal what is at stake if we are to achieve a meaningful victory over Covid.
‘Asking parents for permission to jab kids as young as five is in the schedule. It is controversial, but will help us reach our goal.’
The source added that while plans are open to change, many scientists support the idea of vaccinated young children against coronavirus.
Pfizer is seeking agreement from European regulators for its jab to be used for children aged five to 11.
Following the Sun’s report, health officials said they regularly plan for how to roll out vaccines quickly according to the latest expert advice.
An MHRA spokesperson said: ‘Extending the use of a Covid-19 vaccine to children aged five to 11 would only be authorised if the expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness are met.
‘As with children aged 12 and above, parents can be fully assured that for any potential authorisation in this age group, the safety of the children would be our top priority.’
A spokesperson for NHS England said: ‘The NHS regularly plans for how it would operationalise opening vaccines to more people so it is ready to extend the jab quickly when and if any decision is recommended by the JCVI.’
The JCVI has not yet advised on second jabs for healthy 12 to 15-year-olds.
But in an update in recent days, experts advised that children aged 12 and over who have had a Covid-19 infection should not get a vaccine until 12 weeks later.
Deferring could help to reduce even further the ‘very, very small’ risk of heart inflammation after vaccination, experts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
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