UK health chiefs have recommended all children aged 12-15 should be offered one dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine.
The Chief Medical Officers for each of the four nations said the virus was going to keep spreading over winter and that it would help reduce disruption to education.
The latest news comes as there were 408 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire on Monday.
The government’s vaccine committee previously said there wasn’t enough benefit to go ahead on health grounds along but that other factors could be taken into consideration.
MPs will now be asked to vote on whether to take the the recommendations.
During a briefing today, the CMO for England, Professor Chris Whitty said: “The firstprincipleofmedicineisalwaysaboutbalancingriskandbenefits andifbydoingsomething, thebenefitsexceedtherisksthenitisasensiblethingtodo.”
He later said: “ThedisruptionineducationthathashappenedoverthelastperiodsinceMarch,2020,hasbeenextraordinarilydifficultforchildren,andhadabigimpactonhealth,mentalhealthandlong-termpublichealth – thisismostapparentinareasofdeprivation.”
However, he added: “Wedonotthinkthatthisisapanacea,there’snosilverbullet.It’snotasinglethingthatonitsownwilldoso,butwethinkitis,itisanimportantandpotentiallyusefuladditionaltooltohelpreducethepublichealthimpactsthatcomethrougheducationaldisruption.”
He emphasised that children, young people and their parents should be supported in the decisions they make and be given sufficient information to make the choice whether to take the vaccine or not.
Lincolnshire’s coronavirus cases up to September 13. | Image: GOV.uk
Government figures on Monday showed 254 new cases in Lincolnshire, 72 in North East Lincolnshire and 82 in North Lincolnshire.
Two further deaths of Greater Lincolnshire residents were confirmed in the government figures, with both taking place in Lincolnshire.
NHS data, which is not updated over the weekend, showed three further deaths since Friday’s figures were released, with two at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust.
Nationally, cases increased by 30,825 to 7,256,559 while deaths rose by 61 to 134,261.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire on Monday, September 13
105,008 cases (up 408)
68,960 in Lincolnshire (up 254)
16,355 in North Lincolnshire (up 82)
19,693 in North East Lincolnshire (up 72)
2,302 deaths (up two)
1,686 from Lincolnshire (up two)
314 from North Lincolnshire (no change)
302 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 1,381 hospital deaths (up three)
849 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up two)
44 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
487 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
7,256,559 UK cases, 134,261 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF THE LATEST UPDATE. POSTCODE DATA INCLUDES DEATHS NOT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES OR IN HOSPITALS OUTSIDE AUTHORITY BOUNDARIES.
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Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
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Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!