16- and 17-year-olds should receive first COVID-19 vaccine, advises JCVI

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that all 16 and 17 year olds receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“This updated advice means we can be confident that young people will be afforded around 80% protection against hospitalisation, following receipt of their first dose,” said Public Health England in a recent release.

While COVID-19 is typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be unpleasant for some and for this particular age group, PHE expects one dose of the vaccine to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.

The JCVI has considered the latest safety data from the UK and other countries to assess extremely rare but serious side effects in this younger age group, including myocarditis and pericarditis.

Data from the USA suggests that, in males aged 12- to 17-years-old, 9.8 cases of myocarditis were reported per million first doses given. This rises to 67 per million after the second dose, although most people recovered quickly.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The advice from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) means more young people aged 16 and over can benefit from COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines have saved more than 60,000 lives and prevented 22 million infections in England alone. They are building a wall of defence against the virus and are the best way to protect people from serious illness.”

As previously advised by the JCVI, children aged 12- to 15-years-old with specific underlying health conditions that put them at risk of severe COVID-19 should be offered two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination with an interval of eight weeks between doses.