Local NHS preparing vaccination plans for 12 to 15 year olds

Health bosses in Gloucestershire are developing plans to vaccinate children against coronavirus.

The Government announced on Monday that children aged 12 to 15 in England will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

The Government said it accepted the advice of the four UK chief medical officers and the NHS is preparing to deliver a schools-based vaccination programme.

They say this is the successful model used for vaccinations including for HPV and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP), supported by GPs and community pharmacies.

Vaccination healthcare staff will seek parental, guardian or carer consent prior to vaccination in line with existing school vaccination programmes.

Healthy school-aged children aged 12 to 15 will primarily receive their Covid-19 vaccination in their school with alternative provision for those who are home schooled, in secure services or specialist mental health settings.

A local NHS spokesperson said: “We have a strong history of providing vaccinations to young people in Gloucestershire and we have been working on plans to deliver the Covid vaccine to this age group for some time, pending the outcome of national discussions.

“We will be developing those plans further in the coming days and will be in a position to provide more information on the delivery programme in due course.”

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter