School's Not Out for Summer!

The BA2 variant of Covid19 is surging across Europe. In February, the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) approved the vaccination of healthy 5-11 year old children. Given, that children will be in school until well into Summer in England, scientists are wondering why vaccines are not being given to primary-aged children (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/14/scientists-call-for-immediate-rollout-of-covid-jab-for-uk-primary-school-children). The JCVI note that a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine helps to prevent older children becoming infected. That dose also reduces the severity/duration of symptoms in infected children. Schools are now locations with notable levels of Covid19 infections. Air-borne viral infections spread very easily in school settings. The virus is then taken to multiple homes, at the end of the school day. In spite of these factors, the Minister of Health has described the roll-out of vaccination for primary shool children as being 'non-urgent'. There also no sign of an established mechanism for booking and obtaining vaccinations for children. The Minister of Health appears to fail to recognise that things (the recommendations and where the virus is now multiplying) have changed. There is every chance that the medical profession are going to have to 'play catch-up' in the future. If this is 'following the science', the UK government is already a long way behind!