Labour has today (Wednesday) revealed that, at the current rate
of progress, some 12 – 15-year-olds will not be vaccinated until
February, 15 weeks after the Government’s initial October
half-term target for offering the jab to all eligible teenagers.
The Government’s lacklustre approach is keeping children out of
school, with over 200,000 children being out of class due to
covid every week since 30 September, on top of the disruption to
their last two years of schooling.
Labour has called on the Government to make better use of
community pharmacies, walk-in and pop-up clinics, alongside
bringing back volunteers to expand capacity to vaccinate 12 –
15-year-olds and get booster jabs out.
The slow progress means some of 2.8 million eligible children
will have waited more than five months since the UK’s Chief
Medical Officers gave the green light to vaccinate teens.
, Labour’s Shadow Education
Secretary, said:
“Children have been treated as an afterthought throughout this
pandemic and continue to be let down by a Conservative government
which has shown no care for them and their futures.
“Labour has been urging Ministers to make every effort to get the
vaccine out to children over 12, from pop-up and
walk-in clinics to bringing back volunteers and retired
clinicians. This must come alongside finally introducing the
ventilation in schools that Sage recommended well over a year ago
and giving schools the support they need on masks and other
mitigations.
“The Conservatives have been complacent, and children are paying
the price. The Government must get a grip and stop
neglecting children’s education.”
Ends
- Over 200,000 children have been out of school each week since
30 September (Gov.uk)
- In slightly over five weeks from 8 December – 15 January 2021
3.09 million adults received their first vaccine (Covid dashboard)
- Labour has called for exclusion zones around schools to
prevent anti-vax protesters from spreading dangerous
misinformation to children (Standard)
- To support increased vaccine roll-out Labour is calling for:
Better using community pharmacy, walk-in clinics and pop up
clinics in the jab roll out, to make it easier for parents to get
their children jabbed and for people to get their booster doses;
Bringing back more volunteers and retired clinicians to speed up
the roll out in schools and communities;
Clear, targeted communications to parents on the jab roll out,
the benefits of vaccination alongside campaign that targets
anti-vax disinformation aimed at children and parents;
Clarity for parents on the next steps for the approval of the
vaccine for under 12s, after the Pfizer jab was approved in the
US.
Allowing those who are immuno-compromised to book their third
doses online
