Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the evidential basis is (a) for the inclusion of covid-19 vaccinations for children in the recommended list of NHS vaccinations, (b) that demonstrates the roll out of covid-19 vaccination for children provides long-term protection against disease, (c) that demonstrates covid-19 infection presents a substantial risk to children and (d) that risks to children associated with covid-19 vaccination are outweighed by benefits of vaccination.

On 16 February 2022, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised a non-urgent offer of the Pfizer vaccine should be made to children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a clinical risk group. The JCVI considers this advice as a one-off response to pandemic rather than part of the routine vaccination schedule. NHS.UK includes the offer of COVID-19 vaccination for this age group on its vaccination schedule information to raise awareness with the public.

Vaccine-induced protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and death is expected to be maintained for a longer period than protection against mild disease in children, as evidenced in the United Kingdom data for adults. Most children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a COVID-19 clinical risk group are at extremely low risk of developing severe disease with the majority experiencing asymptomatic or mild disease following infection.

The JCVI’s statement concludes that the potential health benefits of vaccination are greater than the potential health risks. Vaccination of children aged five to 11 years old who are not in a clinical risk group is expected to reduce the small number of hospitalisations and paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19 cases. The extent of these benefits is dependent on the timing and severity of any future wave of infection.