By Covid vaccines available for 5-11 year olds
Parents and carers of 5-11-year-olds can book a Covid vaccine for their children, from today.
The jabs are available in England and can be booked online.
According to reports, around 4.9 million people in the UK have the virus.
Free tests have been scrapped for most people.
The UK’s vaccine advisers said “Future-proof children’s defenses”.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation said vaccines prevent “A very small number of children from serious illness and hospitalization”.
They recommend two doses of the vaccine, 12 weeks apart.
Dr. Nikki Kanani, GP and deputy lead for the NHS Covid-19 vaccination program, said vaccines remained the best defense.
She would “Encourage all parents to read the NHS information available”.
Sajid Javid said, “Children without underlying health conditions are at low risk of serious illness from Covid, and the priority remains for the NHS to offer vaccines and spring boosters to adults and vulnerable young people”.
Appointments will be available at local vaccination centres and community pharmacies, according to reports.
Parents and guardians of those eligible are to receive invitations from the NHS in the next few weeks.
The latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics suggest that one in every 13 people in the UK has coronavirus.
The surge is driven by the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant.
Meanwhile, The Government continues to roll out their ‘Living with Covid’ plan.
