'No decision' taken on children getting Covid vaccine - Government advisor

  • Watch Adam Finn's interview on Good Morning Britain

A Bristol professor says no final decisions have been made on vaccinating children against Covid-19.

Professor Adam Finn, who sits on the Government's joint committee on immunisations and vaccinations, said more than one study is needed before decisions are made about vaccinating youngsters.

The University of Bristol professor appeared on Good Morning Britain after The Telegraph reported children were in line for Covid-19 vaccines from August.

But professor Adam Finn told GMB presenters Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard: "As far as I know there's no decision being taken to immunise children starting in August, or indeed any decision taken to immunise children at all at this point."

But he said it's certainly "something that's on the list of things we might need to do".

While children are unlikely to fall ill with Covid-19, they do play a role in transmitting the virus.

Bristol Children's Hospital has already teamed up with the team behind the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine for a study to test the immune response the jab has in younger people.

It means children in Bristol are among the first in the world to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

Professor Finn said: "We will be doing more studies of the other vaccines in children in the coming weeks. In order to establish that vaccines can safely be used in children if we need to do that."

"I think it's more likely 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 of course," said Professor Finn.

When asked if all adults would likely be vaccinated before children started to be, Professor Finn said: "We're working our way down through the adult population between now and July.

"During that time we will see what goes on with variants, with the circulation of the virus, and then we will make a decision on 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... so that we can go forward with that later in the year."

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