When will under-30s get the Covid vaccine?
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The Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are currently the main ones being used in the UK. When you go for your coronavirus jab appointment, you won’t get to choose which vaccine you’re given. However, those aged under 40 are being offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine where possible due to concerns over rare blood clots. You will receive the same vaccine for your first and second dose, although a trial is underway to assess whether mixing and matching doses is an effective method.
When will under 30s get the Covid vaccine?
People aged 28 and 29 are next in line to be vaccinated as the UK continues on its jab rollout.
As is understood, booking will be open for these age groups soon, likely within the coming weeks.
Express.co.uk calculations suggest they could be contacted by June 15, if the rollout continues at the same speed.
People aged 30 and over are currently being offered the vaccine, with the hopes those under this age group won’t be far behind.
The final cohort, those aged 18 to 29, involves just five million adults in England, it is believed.
In Wales, booking is already open to all people aged over 18, while in Northern Ireland people aged over 25 are eligible for a jab now.
Currently, about 3,000 people aged 30 and over are being recruited for a clinical trial in an effort to find out whether a booster jab dose could protect people against variants.
The Deputy Chairman of the JCVI, Professor Anthony Harnden, said that mixing vaccines could improve Covid protection.
Professor Harnden has previously said that different vaccine types could collaborate to boost the immune system and provide a longer-lasting response.
Will teenagers be vaccinated?
Pfizer has asked UK regulators to approve its vaccine for use in young teenagers.
The pharmaceutical giant has formally asked the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) for permission to use the jab in 12 to 15-year-olds.
This is understood got be one of the age groups most responsible for spreading the virus, and comes as US watchdogs signalled their approval for this step.
Given the organisation’s fast-track review process, it is likely the vaccine would be approved for use in this group before the end of July – the point at which the Government aims to have vaccinated all adults.
Medical advisers are also urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to consider vaccinating children as young as 12 in a bid to protect teachers.
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Previously, a study by Pfizer suggested its jab is “100 percent effective and well tolerated” among children aged 12 to 15.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed on May 17 the Government had bought enough Pfizer vaccines to immunise all children aged over 12.
Mr Hancock emphasised the decision would not be taken lightly and would be considered over the next two months as the rollout continues.
However, leading health experts have warned launching a programme of vaccination for children should only be considered in special circumstances.
Professor Adam Finn from Bristol University acknowledged it could help reduce outbreaks, but also warned it could raise important practical and ethical problems, such as the fact doctors would be vaccinating a group for which there is limited information in regards to side effects.
He said: “Children transmit Covid to some extent, although they rarely suffer badly from the disease themselves.
“If you offer them vaccines, then you put them at risk of possible side effects – so there really needs to be some significant, tangible benefit to them, not just the indirect protection of adults from COVID-19.”
The mover to vaccinate children has been criticised by global health leaders, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who urged countries to reconsider the move.
He said: “In low and lower-middle income countries, COVID-19 vaccine supply has not been enough to even immunise healthcare workers, and hospitals are being inundated with people who need lifesaving caee urgently.”
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