minister nadhim zahawi says children can overrule their own parents to get a covid jab as top government scientists urge mps to ignore vaccine advisers and push ahead with
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi today said children can overrule their parents' wishes to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
It comes as health experts are urging the Government to push ahead with plans to jab 12 to 15 year olds against the virus.
This is despite the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation this week recommending against the plan.
The independent panel of experts, which is made up of professors and doctors who routinely advise the Government on vaccination strategies, cited the fact that the Covid-19 virus presents a very low risk to younger teenagers.
But on Times Radio Mr Zahawi said 12 to 15-year-olds could override their parents' wishes 'if they're deemed to be competent to make that decision, with all the information available'.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi today said children can overrule their parents' wishes to get the Covid-19 vaccine
Mr Zahawi told the T&G programme: 'What you essentially do is make sure that the clinicians discuss this with the parents, with the teenager, and if they are then deemed to be able to make a decision that is competent, then that decision will go in the favour of what the teenager decides to do.'
Professor Chris Whitty and the UK's three other chief medical officers are now reviewing the wider benefits of vaccinating the age group, such as minimising school absences, and are expected to present their findings within days.
Professor Peter Openshaw, of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group which advises the Government, told BBC Breakfast he was 'a little surprised' at the JCVI's decision to not back the rollout among children.
'We do know the virus is circulating very widely amongst this age group, and that if we're going to be able to get the rates down and also prevent further surges of infection perhaps later in the winter, then this is the group that needs to become immune,' he said.
Professor Peter Openshaw , of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group which advises the Government, told BBC Breakfast he was 'a little surprised' at the JCVI's decision to not back the rollout among children
What does the JCVI do?
This JCVI is an independent group of experts who advise the Government health departments in the four UK nations on immunisations and the prevention of infectious disease.
They consider vaccine safety, efficacy and look at the impact and cost effectiveness of immunisation strategies.
The JCVI looks at data on the impact of a disease, data from clinical trials and modelled data, then advises on the best way to get these vaccines to the public.
This is how we come to have the vaccine schedule, which tells us when you need certain vaccines – for example, why young children need their MMR and 6-in-1 vaccines at certain ages, and why we start vaccinating people against flu from September every year.
They also look for any gaps in the information presented where further research or surveillance may be required.
The underlying principles of the JCVI's advice on the first phase of any COVID-19 vaccination programme are to reduce mortality and serious disease and protect the NHS and social care system.
Essentially, they make sure vaccines meet robust standards of safety, that they work as effectively as possible and that the NHS and wider care system has the right strategy in place to administer them.
Their work has fed into getting new and important updates to the vaccination schedule, such as expanding the HPV vaccine to include boys as of 2019.
Source: publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk
'And the best way to become immune is through vaccination, and there's never been as much information as this in the past.
'To think there hasn't been enough research is completely wrong.'
He added: 'To my mind, the public health benefit is very, very important, and we have to take the wider view that unless we do get infection rates down amongst this particular part of the population, it will be very, very hard to prevent further large recurrences (of Covid-19).
'I would say that teenagers are often amongst the most altruistic and the most generous people in society.
'They often think very deeply about these moral and ethical issues and they want to protect others as well.
'So I would think that a lot of teenagers, actually, if they see the evidence in the round, would prefer to be vaccinated.'
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said Sunday that if the chief medical officers recommend vaccination among youngsters aged 12 to 15 then it is 'absolutely' the right thing to do, but he said he does not want to 'pre-determine' that.
The Government is awaiting their advice before making a final decision but ministers and Health Secretary Sajid Javid are reportedly keen to authorise a wider rollout.
Speaking on Sky's Trevor Phillips on Sunday, Mr Zahawi said: 'We have not made any decisions, so we haven't decided not to listen to the experts.
'On the contrary, all four ministers, the Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, and his fellow ministers in the devolved administrations have agreed to ask the chief medical officers to convene expert groups, including the JCVI being in that, to be able to recommend which way we should go on healthy 12 to 15-year-olds.'
He said parents of healthy 12 to 15-year-olds will be asked for consent if coronavirus jabs are approved for their children.
'I can give that assurance, absolutely,' he said.
It comes as family campaign groups warned that some parents are planning on pulling their children from school during any proposed vaccination drive in a bid to stop them being 'peer-pressured' into getting the jab.
Campaign group UsForThem said there is a 'great concern' among families after it was suggested that children as young as 12 could decide for themselves whether or not to get the jab.
Molly Kingsley, co-founder of the parent campaign group UsForThem, told the Telegraph: 'We have seen an incredible amount of concern among parents about the suggestion that parental consent for children as young as 12 may either be overridden or not needed if you are relying on Gillick competence.
Campaign group UsForThem said there is a 'great concern' among families after it was suggested that children as young as 12 could decide for themselves whether or not to get the jab (file photo)
Health Secretary Sajid Javid is reportedly planning on rolling out the vaccine to all 12 to 15 year olds, despite the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommending the jab for higher risk children only
'We have heard a lot of parents saying that if it happens they will keep their children off school for the duration of any vaccination programme.
'Were vaccination of children to happen on school premises without fully respecting the need for parental consent it would really prejudice parents' trust in schools.'
It comes after guidance circulated to NHS trusts says most 12 to 15-year-olds should be deemed 'Gillick competent to provide own consent' over jabs.
'Gillick competent' stems from a 1985 legal decision which ruled that a teenage girl could obtain contraception without her parents' involvement.
It suggests a parent's permission may not be needed to give a pupil the vaccine - although the vaccines minister insisted Sunday that it would be required.
While some parents remain concerned about their children receiving the jab, teacher unions have warned that not vaccinating healthy children could see chaos this autumn if it leads to a rise in Covid cases.
Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the decision will 'make it more difficult during the autumn term and beyond to guard against educational disruption caused by transmission of the virus'.
Latest Public Health England data showed Covid cases are rising fastest among 10 to 19-year-olds (grey line) and 20 to 29-year-olds (green line). Approving Covid vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds would likely help curb the spread of the virus in the age group, scientists in favour of the move add
This graph shows the number of first doses dished out by age group. The NHS publishes age groups as periods of five years, and groups all those under 18 together. It shows more than 620,000 have already been inoculated among under-18s
Latest estimates from a symptom-tracking app suggested under-18s had the second highest number of Covid cases in the country (blue line). Only 18 to 35-year-olds had a higher number of Covid cases (orange line). That is despite schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only starting to go back this week. The data is from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study
Prof John Edmunds, an epidemiologist on the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said: 'We need to take into consideration the wider effect that Covid might have on children and their educational and developmental achievements.
'Because if you think about it, in the UK now, it's difficult to say exactly how many children haven't been infected but it's probably about half of them, so that's about six million children.
'That's a long way to go if we allow infection just to run through the population, that's a lot of children who will be infected and that will be a lot of disruption to schools in the coming months.'
Prof Edmunds said it was likely that the return of schools and greater numbers of workers returning to offices will cause an increase in cases.
He added: 'It's with a wider reopening of society that I think we'd expect to see, now summer's over, organisations will be starting to expect their employees back at work in the office, and I think that employees want to go back to the office, and all of that will add to increased contact rates and increased risk in society.
'So I think we will see increased cases now in the coming months.'
It comes as Mr Zahawi today confirmed vaccine passports will be required to gain entry to large venues, arguing the documents are the 'best way' to avoid winter Covid closures.
The Vaccine Minister said the Government is concerned large venues 'could end up causing a real spike in infections' because of groups of people mixing in close proximity.
Nadhim Zahawi today confirmed vaccine passports will be required to gain entry to large venues, arguing the documents are the 'best way' to avoid winter closures
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi hints Sajid Javid WILL make full vaccination a condition of employment for all NHS workers
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi today hinted Sajid Javid is going to press ahead with plans to make full vaccination a condition of employment for all NHS staff.
Reports suggest that Mr Javid, the Health Secretary, will proceed with the change as part of a bid to reduce the spread of coronavirus in hospitals and other healthcare settings.
Mr Zahawi did not deny the move is on the table as he said 'it is only right and responsible that we look at the duty of care for healthcare workers on the frontline and across the NHS' who are looking after vulnerable people.
The Government is set to launch a consultation on the issue, potentially as soon as this week, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
However, there are fears that a vaccination requirement could spark an exodus of NHS staff.
Mr Zahawi told Sky News: 'I think it is only right and responsible that we look at the duty of care for healthcare workers on the frontline and across the NHS who are looking after people who are, when they are entering hospital, vulnerable to infection and we consult and we will come back and of course publish that consultation in due course.'
Told that his answer sounded like a confirmation the change will happen, Mr Zahawi said: 'I think the right thing to do is to consult and then publish that.'
He said the 'worst thing' for those venues would be for surging coronavirus case numbers to result in an 'open shut, open shut strategy' and the 'best way' to ensure they can remain open for the long term 'is to check vaccine status'.
Boris Johnson announced back in July that being double-jabbed would be made an entry requirement for all nightclubs in England by the end of September.
He also signalled the requirement would likely be imposed on other large venues.
Many Tory MPs are vehemently against the documents being used, with the Prime Minister facing a significant rebellion on the issue.
The move on vaccine passports came after official statistics showed Covid cases in the UK are continuing to climb ahead of the return of many schools on Monday.
The Department of Health recorded a further 37,578 infections yesterday, up from the 32,406 from the previous Saturday.
It is the biggest week-on-week jump in new cases since August 22, when they rose by 20.2 per cent to 32,253.
Hospital admissions are also creeping up, jumping to 985 on August 31 but deaths with the virus have fallen, dropping 9.8 per cent from the 133 recorded last Saturday to 120 yesterday.
Mr Johnson is expected to face a considerable Conservative rebellion if he does push ahead with his vaccine passports plan.
The Prime Minister announced back in July that they would be required in nightclubs.
He said at the time: 'I don't want to have to close nightclubs again as they have elsewhere. But it does mean nightclubs need to do the socially responsible thing.
'As we said last week, we do reserve the right to mandate certification at any point if it's necessary to reduce transmission.
'And I should serve notice now that by the end of September, when all over 18s have had their chance to be double jabbed we're planning to make full vaccination the condition of entry to nightclubs and other venues where large crowds gather.'
The Government has faced mounting Tory backbench anger over the vaccine passports plan, with critics arguing the documents are unnecessary and infringe on individual freedoms.
Mr Zahawi was asked this morning if the Government had made up its mind on the issue.
He told Sky News: 'We are looking at by the end of September, when everyone has had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated for the large venues, venues that could end up causing a real spike in infections, where we need to use the certification process.
'You look at what the FA have done, have done so brilliantly, in terms of checking vaccine status to reopen football, that is the sort of right thing to do and we are absolutely on track to continue to make sure that we do that.
'There is a reason for that, the reason being that I, as does the Prime Minister, want to make sure the whole economy remains open.
'The worst thing we can do for those venues is to have a sort of open shut, open shut strategy because we see infection rates rise because of the close interaction of people, that is how the virus spreads, if people are in close spaces in large numbers, we see spikes appearing.
'The best thing to do then is to work with the industry to make sure that they can open safely and sustainably in the long term and the best way to do that is to check vaccine status.'
Q&A: Why the JCVI advised against a mass vaccine rollout among 12-15 year olds
So what happened this week?
After weeks of pressure for a ruling, the Government's independent advisers on vaccines, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation , decided not to recommend the mass rollout of jabs to all 12 to 15-year-olds.
Why didn't they recommend the vaccine?
The JCVI looks solely at the medical grounds for vaccinating children. Because children are extremely unlikely to get ill with Covid-19, any side-effects become more important compared with adults. The JCVI said the decision was 'very finely balanced'. It said that while the health benefits of the vaccine probably did outweigh any harms, the margin was too small to be sure and there was 'insufficient' evidence for a mass rollout. Fewer than 30 under-18s have died of Covid in the UK.
What do we know about side-effects?
A small number of children have developed cases of heart inflammation called myocarditis after the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. This is extremely rare – affecting between three and 17 teenagers per one million first doses given out. This rises to 12 to 34 more for every million second doses. The condition mainly affects teenage boys after the second dose. Most youngsters make a full recovery. But experts are still uncertain about the long-term consequences.
Did the committee recommend the jab be rolled out to any children?
Yes. Currently, around 150,000 severely disabled 12 to 15-year-olds with conditions including Down's syndrome get the vaccine. Yesterday, the JCVI said this group should be expanded to include about another 200,000 children with underlying health conditions such as type 1 diabetes and sickle cell disease.
So what happens now? Could healthy 12 to 15 year-olds still get vaccinated?
Potentially, yes. The JCVI does not consider the wider societal impacts of vaccination. Given the enormous disruption to education during the pandemic, the committee urged UK health ministers to seek further advice on the broader impact of vaccination. Therefore the buck has essentially been passed to the UK's four chief medical officers. Health Secretary Sajid Javid wrote to Professor Chris Whitty asking him to consider a broader base of evidence.
How will a decision now be made?
Professor Whitty and health experts will review evidence showing how many children may need time off school due to outbreaks. Sources are adamant children will not be vaccinated to protect adults and reduce a potential winter wave. The process is expected to take a few days and advice will be presented to ministers. A final decision could come at the end of next week.
Why is the UK taking a different approach to other countries?
France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the US and Norway are among the nations now offering jabs to children aged 12 to 15. Experts on the JCVI take a 'precautionary approach' that only recommends the vaccine to those children with underlying health conditions, rather than a one-size-fits-all strategy.
If a rollout is approved will parents get a say?
Parents' written consent will be required before their children are given a vaccine. The NHS is ready to 'hit the ground running' if vaccines are approved for schoolchildren. Last week they were told to recruit and train staff to go into schools to give pupils Covid jabs.