In its
analysis of whether the rollout of coronavirus vaccines should be expanded to
children aged between 12 and 15, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation concluded that the benefits are “marginally greater than the
potential known harms.”
With just
two per million of healthy children needing intensive care treatment for
COVID-19, the JCVI said the “margin of benefit, based primarily on a health
perspective, is considered too small to support advice on a universal program.”
In
contrast, the rate among children with underlying health conditions is far
higher at over 100 per million. As a result, the JCVI did expand the group of
older children with underlying health conditions who should be offered the
vaccine. These include those with chronic major heart, lung, kidney, liver and
neurological conditions. It means about 200,000 more children will be invited
for either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Though the
JCVI failed to back a universal rollout to older children just as schools
reopen for the new year, the U.K. may still end up joining others such as
France, Germany and the U.S. in offering vaccines to that group.
The health
ministers from the four U.K. nations — England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland — said they have asked their respective chief medical officers to make
their own assessments in light of the JCVI’s analysis.
“People
aged 12 to 15 who are clinically vulnerable to the virus have already been
offered a COVID-19 vaccine, and today we’ll be expanding the offer to those
with conditions such as sickle cell disease or type 1 diabetes to protect even
more vulnerable children,” said British Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
“We will
then consider the advice from the chief medical officers, building on the
advice from the JCVI, before making a decision shortly,” he added.
One risk
that has been identified is a condition known as myocarditis, which involves
inflammation of the heart muscle. The condition can result in short periods of
hospital observation, followed by typically swift recoveries, but the JCVI
concluded that the medium to long-term outcomes are still uncertain and more
follow-up time is needed to get a clearer picture.
“This was a
very finely balanced decision,” said Anthony Harnden, the JCVI’s deputy chairman.
“But while the benefits slightly outweigh the risks, the risks are very
uncertain at the moment.”
Though the
JCVI opted against a universal rollout to older children, it stressed that it
was not within its remit to assess wider societal impacts, such as on education
or children acting as sources of transmission.
Javid has
already asked the National Health Service to prepare to roll out vaccinations
to older children should it be be recommended by the chief medical officers.
The NHS is
also preparing for possible “booster” shots for older adults. The JCVI is
expected to decide soon whether third doses should be offered to all adults or
just to those above a certain age or with certain health conditions.
The
government is being urged to make the decision soon, potentially before the
JCVI has made its conclusion, not least because winter is approaching, a time
of year when the virus finds fresh legs.
Though
nearly 80% of the U.K.‘s adult population has been fully inoculated, the
country has seen infection numbers edge higher over the past month following
the lifting of lockdown restrictions. On Friday, Britain recorded another
42,076 infections, the highest daily total since July 21. Virus-related deaths have
also been rising, with another 121 recorded on Friday, taking the U.K.’s total
to 133,041, Europe’s highest.
Jeremy
Hunt, the former health secretary whom Prime Minister Boris Johnson defeated in
2019 in the race to become Conservative Party leader, said time is of the
essence.
“In a
pandemic I think even a few days can make a big difference,” he told BBC radio.
“So I think we should just get on, not wait for that advice, get on with a
booster program.”