The UK Covid booster programme should be expanded to all adults and the gap between second and third vaccine jabs should be halved to three months, government scientific advisers said on Monday.
The scientists on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that children between the ages of 12 and 15 be given a second dose of the Covid vaccine.
The advisory body said that the third booster jab should not be given before three months after the second dose. This is different from previous guidance that suggested a six-month gap between the second and third doses.
The expansion of the booster programme should follow the same procedure as the first and second phases of the vaccine programme, to ensure that the most vulnerable are protected first, according to the JCVI.
Politicians and scientists are concerned about the global spread of the Omicron variant. The Scottish government confirmed on Monday that six Omicron cases had been identified.
Dr June Raine, the chief executive of the Medicines and healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said that she remained confident of the safety of Covid-19 vaccines.
She said that the majority of reactions relate to expected side effects such as injection site reactions and flu-like symptoms. The monitoring of the safety of booster doses does not raise any new concerns.
Health secretary Sajid Javid convened a meeting with fellow health ministers from the G7 group of developed economies to discuss how best to tackle the rapidly spreading variant. The House of Commons is expected to hear a statement from Javid later on Monday.
The public will be required to wear face coverings while travelling on public transport and in retail settings from 4am on Tuesday, as new coronaviruses measures take effect in England.
People travelling into the UK must take a day 2 test and self isolated until they have a negative test result. Three weeks from now, the government will review the measures.
