Schools already planning Covid vaccinations for kids as young as 12 in final push to beat bug

SCHOOLS are already scheduling Covid jabs for children as young as 12 in the final push to see off the pandemic.

Approval has not yet been given for inoculating youngsters – although 16- and 17-year-olds will be offered vaccinations within weeks.

AFPParents have been told Covid jabs will be scheduled for students aged between 12 and 15 – even though the Government has not yet approved inoculations for the age range[/caption]

It comes as teens aged 16 and 17 are told they’ll be able to book their vaccinations within weeks

Parents have spoken of their surprise after receiving letters informing them of a jabs schedule for children aged between 12 and 15 during the autumn school term.

John Ferneley College, an academy in Leicestershire, wrote to parents this week offering slots for pupils in years eight to eleven, the Telegraph reports.

Mums and dads were told their kids could be vaccinated at the school, with the first dose due to take place in mid-September and the second in early January 2022.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has not ruled out extending jabs to younger children – although members of the committee remain largely opposed to the idea, it’s understood.

Evidence for immunising younger people is still being reviewed by scientists.

It comes as:

Britain’s R-rate is shrinking faster than almost anywhere else in the world – suggesting the third wave is overUK Covid cases rise by 28,612 in a day as infections remain low three weeks after Freedom DayHowever, Sage has warned a Covid mutation bringing ‘more severe disease’ could be created when two variants infect one personA travel expert sparked outrage yesterday after sharing a way for red-list holidaymakers to get around quarantineMore than 30,000 UK children are battling long Covid with experts fearing a push to vaccinate the young has come too late

The letter sent to parents of students at John Ferneley reads: “Following the pandemic and the successful implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in adults, we are anticipating a decision from the Government if the Covid-19 vaccine will be offered to young people.

“Should this be confirmed upon return in the autumn term, the Leicestershire NHS Community Immunisation Service are anticipating that this will be given within a school setting during this autumn/winter, as a two-dose course.”

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust confirmed that it had written to all the schools in its area to “inform them of our proposed immunisation schedules”.

Officials said advance preparation will help with planning – but stressed that jabs in schools will only go ahead if approved.

One parent whose two children are at the college said: “I was just shocked that they were even planning dates.

PARENTS ‘SHOCKED’ AT PLANS

“It just makes you think this is definitely planned that this is going to happen at some point in the next few months.

“My main worry is will my children still be able to go to school if they don’t have it?”

Molly Kingsley, co-founder of the parent campaign group UsForThem, said it was “concerning” to see NHS trusts and schools “creating a presumption as to the JCVI decision”.

She added: “This is wrong for many reasons but not least because it shows they are creating pressure towards a course of action without regard to the medical benefits or risks to the children supposedly in their care.”

John Ferneley College declined to comment.

Meanwhile, sources have told the Guardian that scientists are still widely against vaccinating younger children.

The JCVI is reportedly still “extremely cautious” about expanding the programme to 12- to 15-year-olds.

‘ROLL-OUT FOR TEENS IS SHAMBOLIC’

And the roll-out of jabs for older teenagers has been described as “shambolic”, with doctors saying they’ve been “left in the dark” about the details.

All healthy over-16s were told they can get a jab soon in an announcement made earlier this week – just a fortnight after the JCVI said children shouldn’t routinely be given Covid vaccinations.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van-Tam says it’s “more likely than less likely” that the list of eligible children able to get inoculated would be widened.

However, one expert on the board told the publication most are still against expanding the programme.

Professor Robert Dingwall, a prominent critic of vaccinations for children, has recently left the committee.

The academic said his reason for leaving has nothing to do with his views on vaccinating teens.

“People are seeing a conspiracy where none exists. This is something that has been prefigured for several weeks and it’s entirely coincidental that it happens to be at the same time as the review on vaccination for 16- and 17-year-olds,” he said.

“I am being portrayed as some kind of lone voice critic of vaccination for [teenagers] but at no point have my views been any different from the broad consensus on JCVI.

“This idea I’ve been a single roadblock is just nonsense.”