Only five- to 11-year-olds who are vulnerable will be eligible for the BioNTech/Pfizer Covid jab in the UK, following advice from the government’s vaccine advisers, despite the medicines regulator approving the shot for all children in the age group.
The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on Wednesday granted regulatory approval for the Pfizer shot to be used in smaller doses for five- to 11-year-olds. The doses are a third of the size of jabs for those aged 12 and over.
But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the UK’s vaccine advisory group, opted to roll out the jab only to vulnerable five- to 11-year-olds and those with vulnerable relatives in their household. This would cover 330,000 children, according to official estimates.