COVID-19: England to offer vaccinations to 16 and 17-year-olds by August 23

The Department of Health has stated that all 16 and 17-year-olds in England will receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination by Monday, August 23. The British health secretary Sajid Javid said that they will give teenagers two weeks to build up immunity before school resumes in September. In Wales, invitations are being sent out.

100,000 messages to be sent to eligible youngsters

Approximately 100,000 messages will be sent to eligible youngsters urging them to schedule their COVID-19 jabs. They will be able to get vaccinated at one of over 800 GP-led local vaccination sites, and National Health Service (NHS) England has established a new online walk-in site finder to assist patients in finding the closest available centre. In the coming weeks, more sites will go up. The NHS is also contacting children aged 12 to 15 who are clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 or who live with people who are at heightened risk of serious illness from the virus, and inviting them to have their first vaccine shot by August 23, just in time for the start of the new school year.

The government claimed it was working closely with the NHS to make it as easy as possible to receive a vaccine, including through getting a shot pop-up vaccination sites across the country, including London nightclub Heaven, sports stadiums, and festivals. 

The National Education Union stated that vaccinations for 16-and 17-year-olds will help to prevent disturbance in the coming academic year, but that other safety precautions in schools needed to be maintained. More than a quarter of a million under 18 had their first vaccination, according to Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS medical director of primary care and deputy lead for the vaccination programme in England.

70% of adults have received the first dose of vaccination

Those aged 16 and up do not require their parents' permission to get vaccinated because they are legally regarded as competent in making their own medical decisions. Vaccines have saved around 84,600 lives and prevented 23.4 million illnesses and 66,900 hospitalizations in England, according to figures from Public Health England and Cambridge University. According to the most recent figures, 70% of adults aged 18 to 29 in England have received the first dose of vaccine.

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