If ministers ignore scientific advice against mass vaccinations of healthy 12- and 15-year-olds for Covid-19, parents should decide whether to allow their children to get vaccinated.
Although the government seems determined to continue with vaccinations for teenagers, Professor Anthony Harnden (Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) stated on Saturday that parents have the final say.
He told the Observer that the health benefits of vaccinating well 12- and 15-year-olds is marginally more than the risks.
It would be reasonable to offer vaccinations to children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old if the educational benefits of vaccination tip the benefit/risk ratio in favor of greater risk/benefit. The choice should be made by both the parents and teenagers.
Boris Johnson is also preparing for a confrontation against his MPs, after the leader in backbench Tories stated that vaccinations for 12- and 15-year-olds would be clearly wrong due to a lack of consensus among experts.
Sir Graham Brady stated to the Observer that there would be opposition from the House of Commons if ministers attempted to approve Covid jabs in school-age children's lives before there was definite scientific and medical evidence.
Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers said that: The JCVI had given thorough consideration to the pros, and cons, of vaccinating children, and concluded that this case has not been made. It would be wrong, in my opinion, to give vaccines to children if it is not clearly for the child's own health.
Brady stated that he believes the 70-strong Covid Recovery Group, Conservative MPs who opposed many of the government's stricter lockdown measures would strongly oppose the move as MPs return to Westminster this week. MPs aren't sure if ministers will allow a vote on the issue.
According to reports, Sajid Javid, the prime minister and health secretary, are eager to continue with vaccinations for young people to reduce the spread of the disease. However, Nadhim Zhawi, the vaccines minister is cautious about moving forward without the approval of scientists and medical professionals.
Other government officials are concerned about possible backlash if such a decision is to cause illness in children or to provoke anxiety among parents, even if it's not supported by scientific evidence.
Concerns were raised over the government's plans to launch a booster campaign for adults who have been twice vaccinated. There is still a risk for older adults who were vaccinated in January but are not immune to the virus.
The government is currently waiting to hear from the JCVI about a booster campaign. The committee is still waiting on early results of a scientific study by Southampton University COV-Boost to determine the safety of a third dose.
Saffron Cordery (deputy chief executive of NHS Providers) did not comment on the decision regarding 12- and 15-year-olds but asked ministers to wait for advice on boosters.
She said that it is important to allow the JCVI to do its job. The evidence has been strong in all aspects of vaccinations, and the same must be true for boosters. It is understandable that the JCVI takes the time to ensure this.
It is important to get the vaccine in the hands of as many people and as safely as possible. Because a wider coverage means greater protection. It could undermine trust and be detrimental to the effectiveness of the vaccine.
There are still questions about how a mass booster campaign would work. Some suggestions suggest that it would be administered by GPs along with flu jabs. The government intends to distribute 35m flu jabs in winter. However, there are supply problems due to a shortage of lorry drivers and a shortage of blood samples for testing.
This knock-on effect is putting immense pressure on GPs already under stress. We were getting calls about booster vaccination requests for 12- to 15-year olds, as well as about the scarcity of blood bottles and flu vaccination programs.
Patients are rightly angry because they cannot reach us. However, our phones are jammed with other problems that have been created and dropped on top of us. The government and NHS England are not providing much support at the moment. People should have one place to go for information and call.
