England has promised to vaccinate children 12-15 years old with the Kovid-19 vaccine within the next week, the government announced on Monday evening following advice from chief doctors in four countries in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales). And Northern Ireland). According to the Ministry of Health, the vaccination program will be implemented in schools with the consent of parents or officials, as with other vaccines.

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“I agree with the Chief Doctors’ recommendation to give immunizations to 12-15 year olds”, Health Minister Sajid Javed said in a statement that the NHS, a public health service, “The vaccine is ready to be deployed” In this age group “With the same sense of urgency we had at every stage of our vaccination program.” Local governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are required to notify their decision. Despite fears about a recent return to school, the chief doctors’ recommendation differs from the conclusions of the committee overseeing the vaccination campaign, raising fears that families may be reluctant to apply.

Three million eligible teens

This means that three million adolescents at this age are eligible to receive the first and unchanged dose of the Pfizer / Bioentech vaccine in the UK. As more data from around the world became available, four British chief medical officers asked the committee to make a decision on giving a second dose to teens of this age. In their recommendation, they took into account the impact of the epidemic on the education of adolescents and ressed that vaccination would be possible. “Minimize (but do not eliminate) the barrier to teaching”.

“We believe this is a useful additional tool to help mitigate the impact on public health caused by disruptions in education.”The findings of the Chief Medical Officer and the Committee will be confirmed, the Chief Medical Officer of England, Professor Chris Witty, said at a press conference. “No contradiction”. Ten days ago, the Committee (JCVI) estimated that the benefits of immunization for 12-15 year olds were nominal, despite concerns about the start of a new school year. Healthy children have a lower risk of contracting the virus, he said, when the government recommends seeking more advice. Children over 12 years of age with health problems are more susceptible to Kovid-19 and everyone already 16-17 years of age is eligible for vaccination.

Many Western countries, such as France or the United States, have been vaccinating teens for weeks, and vaccinations in the United Kingdom seem to have stalled since the campaign began last December. More than 134,000 people have died in the UK in the 28 days since the outbreak began, with Kovid-19 testing positive. With a population of over 66 million, the country registers 30,000 new cases every day. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to unveil a plan to fight the virus for the winter on Tuesday, amid fears of a return to seasonal pathologies this year and strong pressure on the health system.