In a bid to avoid a third COVID wave from ravaging the UK, as is currently the case in several parts of Europe, the government is planning to vaccinate children 12 and up as soon as they come back from the summer break.
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All ages will soon have been vaccinated
According to new data, the vaccine rollout program in the UK has been proven to have slashed infection rates significantly and is now being considered to be administered to children as early as September. Professor David Eyre from the University of Oxford explains that the natural course of action to take is to vaccinate as many people as possible to reinforce the best line of defence for the UK:
In older individuals, two vaccine doses are as effective as prior natural infection at generating antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19 - in younger individuals a single dose achieves the same level of response. Our findings highlight the importance of individuals getting the second vaccine dose for increased protection
After news broke out that a booster shot would be rolled out in the coming Autumn months to fight the variants threatening the efficacy of current vaccines, medical experts are saying that jabs alone will be the best way to fight the virus—ruling out the necessity for any further lockdowns.
Will lifting all restrictions be harmful?
Children as young as five years old are also being considered for vaccination as early as July if lifting all restrictions in June shows the UK to regress back to an influx of infections. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
Vaccines work and today's findings from the ONS and Oxford University provide further evidence that both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines are having a significant impact on reducing infections across the UK.
And added:
With over 33 million first jabs already in arms, saving lives and cutting the risk of infection, it's vital everyone gets their second dose when invited, to protect you and your loved ones against this disease.
