Professor Adam Finn, from Bristol University, said the decision hinged on whether children would be benefitted by the vaccine
British children may only be asked to get Covid vaccines if the spread of the virus threatens to shut schools once again, a Government vaccine adviser said today.
Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the advisory committee that decided the jab priority list, claimed the decision hinged on whether it would ‘keep things functioning normally across society’.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘One would not really be comfortable with immunising children entirely for the benefit of others and not for the children.
‘I think if it does look as though it’s necessary, that will be driven by the observation that the virus is still circulating and there’s jeopardy for children in terms of disruption to their education.’
His comments come after Pfizer claimed their vaccine was 100 per cent effective in children and triggered a ‘robust’ antibody response.
None of the 12 to 15 year olds given the jab as part of a trial caught coronavirus nor suffered any serious side-effects, according to trial results.
Jabs made by AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen are also being tested in children, with results expected later this year.
Scientists say it’s morally complicated to jab children because they have almost zero risk of dying or falling seriously ill from the disease, and would only be vaccinated to protect older people. It is still unknown, however, how long Covid may affect them.
Pfizer revealed yesterday that its jab was 100 per cent effective in clinical trials on more than 2,000 children aged 12 to 15. It recorded 18 cases in the placebo group, and none among those who had been vaccinated against the virus
Vaccinating children could be controversial because it is likely to be focused on protecting older people rather than the children themselves. Other vaccines given to children, such as for measles and meningitis, protect against diseases that are very dangerous and potentially deadly to children, but the same is not true of Covid-19 (stock image)
Professor Finn, who is also a child vaccine expert at Bristol University, added the decision on whether to vaccinate children was yet to be taken, but would hinge on how the roll-out progresses this year.
‘I think what we’ll be seeing really is the impact of the vaccine programme so far as we move down through the adult population, and forming an opinion as to whether it’s going to be necessary to immunise children as well in order to keep the virus under control,’ he said.
‘The important aspect of that for children is that we desperately want to keep schools open into the next academic year and avoid any further disruption to education.
‘I think this would benefit children if it turns out to be necessary, but clearly, we don’t want to do this unless it is necessary, because it would be an additional difficulty, costs and so on.’
He added there had been ‘no problems’ in the AstraZeneca vaccine trials on children, and they were also awaiting results from trials of the Janssen jab.
Leaked Government plans last week suggested ministers wanted to start getting jabs to millions of under-18s by August to try to achieve herd immunity – when the virus can’t spread because so many people are protected.
But if the threshold of protection needed is high – scientists say it is likely higher than two thirds, and even vaccinating 100 per cent of adults with a 100 per cent effective vaccine, which won’t happen, would only offer 75 per cent – children may need vaccinating too otherwise the virus will continue spreading among them.
Although most won’t get sick, the long-term effects of the virus aren’t well understood, and more cases means a higher risk that some will get seriously ill or that the virus will make its way into adults for whom the jab hasn’t worked.
Even vaccinating all adults wouldn’t offer total protection because the jabs don’t stop 100 per cent of Covid cases.
Vaccinating children could be controversial because it is likely to be focused on protecting older people rather than the children themselves.
Other vaccines given to children, such as for measles and meningitis, protect against diseases that are very dangerous and potentially deadly to children, but the same is not true of Covid.
Children are at least risk of dying if they catch Covid – with Public Health England data showing their risk is less than one in a million.
The rate among over-80s, who are most at risk, is 1,513 per 100,000 – or 1.5 per cent of all those who catch the virus.
Experts who back the child vaccination policy argue that it is important to minimise the risk of infection, despite some academics arguing children do not contribute to the spread of Covid.
Israel is the first country in the world to have rolled out vaccines to under-18s, with 16 and 17-year-olds having jabs after the health ministry decided it was safe.
If the proposal to jab children goes ahead, this would mean 11million could be vaccinated before the start of the autumn term.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said at the time ‘no decisions have been made on whether children should be offered vaccinations.’
One source involved in the plan told The Telegraph last week that vaccines for children ‘could begin by late summer,’ stating specifically that August was the date.
Another source said that this would be the ‘earliest’ the roll-out for under-18s would begin.
Only children who are at a high risk of Covid are currently able to have a vaccine.
The proposal to vaccinate children underlines the extent to which the government feels it must drive down cases ahead of next winter.
Boris Johnson last week conceded at the Downing Street press briefing that eradicating Covid wasn’t on the table.
‘I’m not sure that eradication makes sense in a globalised economy for one country alone,’ the PM said.
Other efforts to increase the coverage of the vaccine programme include proposals to make it mandatory for care home workers to get a jab.