SIXTEEN and 17-year-olds in Wales will be offered a first coronavirus jab in the coming weeks and will not need the consent of their parents to get a vaccine.
It follows the latest advice from Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), published on Wednesday, for COVID-19 Vaccination of children and young people.
The JCVI advise is to offer an initial dose of Pfizer vaccine to all 16 and 17 year olds who haven’t been vaccinated.
The Welsh Government's Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: "We are already inviting young people who are within three months of their 18th birthday, in line with JCVI advice.
"The advice on 12-15 year olds has not changed and remains that persons aged 12-15 years with specific underlying health conditions that put them at risk of severe COVID-19, as set out in the Green Book, should be offered two doses of Pfizer vaccine with an interval of eight weeks between doses.
"Also, children and young people aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of persons (adults or children) who are immunosuppressed are now being offered the vaccine.a. People who are immunosuppressed have a weaker immune system. They are more likely to have poorer outcomes if they get infected with COVID-19. Vaccinating household contacts will help limit the spread of the virus.
"The JCVI note that further data and experience relevant to the vaccination of otherwise healthy persons aged 12-15 years are accumulating. The current epidemiology of COVID-19 in the UK is also changing rapidly. JCVI considers these factors important in determining the overall harm-benefit balance related to the vaccination of healthy 12-15 year olds and will continue to review emerging data and provide further advice in a timely manner.
"In all instances, the offer of vaccination to children and young people must be accompanied by appropriate information to enable children and young people, and those with parental responsibility, to be adequately appraised of the potential harms and benefits of vaccination as part of informed consent prior to vaccination.
"In line with the other nations of the UK, the Welsh Government welcomes the latest JCVI advice and thank them for their expertise and considered judgement on such important issues. We are now working with the NHS on the arrangements needed to offer the vaccination to all 16 and 17 year olds in line with the JCVI advice."
Vaccination experts are yet to set out the timeline for when youngsters should get their second dose, and will make further recommendations in the coming weeks.
Officials close to the programme said that under current UK guidance, if a child is able to understand the risks and benefits of any medical treatment then they can legally give consent without their parents’ say-so.
The child or young person’s consent is considered the most appropriate consent, even if a parent disagrees.
It is understood officials are not ruling out vaccinations for otherwise healthy 12 to 15-year-olds but want to look at more information first.
Children will receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which has been approved for use in the UK for people aged 12 and over.
Experts have been constantly reviewing the data on vaccines for children.
Information which had led them to reconsider the position on vaccinating children aged 16 and 17 included the recent surge of infections, more data on the safety of the vaccines and the excellent progress of the adult vaccination programme.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said in a statement: “After carefully considering the latest data, we advise that healthy 16 to 17-year-olds are offered a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
“Advice on when to offer the second vaccine dose will come later.
“While Covid-19 is typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be very unpleasant for some and for this particular age group, we expect one dose of the vaccine to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.”
Children who have had the vaccine in clinical trials and real world data suggest that some get short-lived side effects after inoculation, including fever, sore arm, headache and tiredness.
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