The United Kingdom will extend its vaccination campaign against the coronavirus to adolescents aged 16 and 17, refraining for now from immunizing all over 12 years like many Western countries, health authorities said on Wednesday.
Read also: Will the drop in Covid-19 contamination observed in the United Kingdom take place in France?
"
I have asked the NHS,
" the British public health service, "
to prepare to vaccinate those who are eligible as soon as possible,
" Health Minister Sajid Javid said in a statement.
The program will start in "
the next few weeks,
" Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, told a press conference.
16-17 year olds will receive a first dose before a decision is made about the second dose after reviewing the data, he added.
Only the Pfizer vaccine has been validated
Until then, young people over 16 were only eligible if they are considered to be at high risk due to underlying pathologies.
Only the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine has so far been approved in children over 12 years old by the British regulator.
According to Prof. Wei Shen Lim, who chairs the commission responsible for advising the government on its immunization program, the data will be reviewed for 12-15 year olds.
Last month, the government announced the extension of the vaccination campaign to clinically vulnerable 12-15 year-olds, as well as 12-17 year-olds who are in contact with immunocompromised people in their homes and to all 17-year-olds. years in the three months preceding their 18th birthday.
In the United Kingdom, where 73% of adults are fully vaccinated, the epidemic has killed nearly 130,000 people, one of the heaviest tolls in Europe.
