Covid jabs will be given to vulnerable BABIES: Health chiefs recommend two Pfizer doses

Babies with underlying conditions will be offered a Covid vaccine, UK health chiefs confirmed today.

Around 60,000 youngsters aged six months to four years will be eligible for two Pfizer jabs if they are in a clinical risk group that makes them vulnerable to the virus.

Children with poorly controlled asthma and chronic conditions affecting the heart, kidneys, liver or digestive system are included in the group.

While the vast majority of under-fours only develop mild symptoms, this cohort may develop more serious illness, so jabs are the ‘best way to increase their protection’, according to the Government’s vaccine taskforce, which issued the advice. 

NHS England has confirmed it will begin offering jabs to those eligible in England from mid-June. Parents should wait to be contacted before coming forward, it said.

NHS England has confirmed it will begin offering jabs to those eligible in England from mid-June

Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency suggests that 51 under-fours have died withing four weeks of a positive Covid test since the pandemic began

Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests that 51 under-fours have died withing four weeks of a positive Covid test since the pandemic began.

In a report published today, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the Government on the jab rollout, said eligible youngsters should be offered two 3-microgram doses of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine, at least eight weeks apart.

If a child has recently been infected with the virus, they should not be jabbed until at least four weeks later, it said.

Further advise on third jabs for children aged six months to four years who are immunosuppressed will be issue ‘in due course’, the JCVI said.

Healthy children in the age group are not currently eligible, it added. 

Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of the JCVI’s COVID-19 Committee, said: ‘For the vast majority of infants and children, Covid causes only mild symptoms, or sometimes no symptoms. 

‘However, for a small group of children with pre-existing health conditions it can lead to more serious illness, and for them, vaccination is the best way to increase their protection.’

The JCVI said its advice follows a review of the latests Covid vaccine trials among children and safety data from the US, as well as studying the virus amongst youngsters in the UK. 

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: ‘COVID-19 is still in circulation, with thousands of new cases reported every week. 

‘The extra protection offered by the vaccine could be important for young children in clinical risk groups, who are at greater risk of severe illness. 

‘The virus is not going away so I would encourage all parents to bring their child forward if they are eligible. 

‘Parents should wait to be contacted by their local health professionals.’

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘Children are at very low risk of harm from Covid.

‘However, there are a very small number of children with health conditions which make them particularly vulnerable, and for those children we want to give parents the choice as to whether they wish to vaccinate their at risk child or not.

‘I have accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on vaccinating children aged from 6 months to 4 years who are in a clinical risk group.

‘It is a parental decision, and this advice is simply to enable parents of children with medical conditions to choose if they wish to have the protection.’