GIVING children Covid-19 jags will “certainly” be considered, one of the UK’s top vaccination advisers has said.
A member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) explained more research is required before a decision can be made.
It comes after the Telegraph reported children will start getting the vaccine as early as August under provisional UK Government plans.
While children are unlikely to fall ill with Covid-19, they do play a role in transmitting the virus.
The University of Oxford is currently carrying out a clinical trial on children to test the safety and efficacy of its vaccine in younger age groups, with initial results expected in the summer.
The trial is working with partner sites in London, Southampton and Bristol and includes around 300 youngsters aged six to 17.
Responding to reports that children could be vaccinated from August, JCVI member Professor Adam Finn, from the University of Bristol, told Good Morning Britain: "As far as I know there has been no decision made to immunise children starting in August, or indeed any decision been taken to immunise children at all at this point.
"But it's certainly something that we might need to do."
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He said results from more than one study are needed, adding: "If it does turn out to be necessary to immunise children, I think it is more likely that we would prioritise teenagers over younger children, simply because the evidence we have at the moment is that transmission of the virus is more likely to occur from and between teenagers who are a little bit more like adults.
"I think what we need to learn before that (is) what proportion of the population we need to immunise in order to get effective herd immunity and to suppress circulation of the virus.
"In order to do that, we need to have a clear understanding of how efficiently the vaccines actually interrupt infection and transmission, and that evidence is still on its way at the moment."
Referring to the aim to have the adult population vaccinated before the end of July, Finn explained: "During that time we will see what goes on with variants, with the circulation of the virus, and then we'll be able to make a decision whether children need to be immunised - we clearly won't want to do that unless it's necessary.
"But if it is necessary we will by then know whether the vaccines are entirely safe and effective and we're giving the right dose and so on, so that we go forward with that later in the year."
The professor said more studies are forthcoming on how vaccines work in children, adding that "in order to establish that vaccines can safely be used in children, we need to do that".
Currently, only children at very high risk of severe infection are offered a jab.
A spokesman for the UK Department of Health commented: "While clinical trials are under way to test the efficacy and safety of Covid-19 vaccines in children and young adults, these trials have not concluded yet.
"We will be guided by the advice of our experts on these issues including the independent JCVI."
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