A decision to offer Covid jabs to under-18s will be made soon as the ministers are “sympathetic” to the idea, claimed media reports. Meanwhile, schools across England are closing early for the summer break or moving to online teaching as tens of thousands of pupils are forced to isolate themselves at home amid spiking Covid cases.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick said the government was "very sympathetic" to the idea of inviting children aged 12 to 17 to have a jab, stated media reports, adding that guidance in this reference will be announced this week.
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has reportedly been advising ministers against a mass vaccination programme for all children until further evidence of the risks is available.
Reports claimed that the UK government may soon offer Covid vaccines to young Britons starting from vulnerable 12 to 15-year-olds and those who are within three months of turning 18.
The news came amid reports of many schools across England closing early for the summer break or moving to online teaching as tens of thousands of pupils are forced to isolate themselves at home amid spiking Covid cases.
Local news reports showed that schools in Southend, Winchester, Swindon, Pembrokeshire and Salisbury have all been forced to close early and switch to online learning to prevent entire year groups from having to self-isolate and to deal with staff shortages.
Official government data published last week showed that 840,000 pupils were out of school self-isolating, the highest number since schools fully reopened in March. The high numbers are said to be a combined effect of rising cases and the UK's bubble system for school under which the entire bubble, which typically consists of a single class or an entire year group, is sent home if a pupil comes in contact with a positive case.
Claiming that it is an “absolutely grim situation” and a “depressing end to an academic year”, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders Geoff Barton said that only those schools are remaining open until the end of term where it is "possible”, adding that more and more schools are closing because of “Covid-related cases and absence among pupils and staff”.
Barton also said that school leaders are concerned that education will be further disrupted in the autumn term owing to rise in Delta variant cases and end of all the restrictions on Monday (19), especially since under-18s are currently not eligible for vaccination.
England saw a rise of 54, 674 new Covid cases on Saturday (17) along with 41 new deaths. So far, around 88 per cent of adults have had a first dose and around 68 per cent of Britons are double jabbed, according to the latest figures.
Damian Talbot