SOUTH Belfast MLA Paula Bradshaw has called for greater clarity from the British government about vaccinations for teenagers.
The Alliance health spokesperson was speaking after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that vulnerable children as young as 12 should receive the Pfizer vaccine.
The British Government’s Vaccines Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, said the JCVI has also advised that children who are almost 18 should be vaccinated.
Ms Bradshaw has called on the government to provide clarity on the advice, including whether it is ready to vaccinate all over-12s.
She said that while the move to vaccinate vulnerable children over 12 was "welcome" the proposed rollout was "remarkably complex".
“At least one member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has already stated vaccinations for all over-12s will be necessary in order to reach so-called herd immunity," she said.
"This appears to jar, at least partially, with the more limited recommendation from the JCVI.
“The question which arises is whether we will have the reasoning behind the JCVI recommendation published. If, eventually, we are going to move towards all over-12s being vaccinated, why would we take such a complex step right now? Does the UK have supply to complete the vaccination programme to include all over-12s? Would it not be wise to ensure all teenagers and young adults are fully vaccinated before the resumption of term in schools and in further and higher education?
“We have seen the JCVI advice on booster vaccinations published, and we must have its advice on vaccinations for younger people published similarly so we can best assess what next steps should be taken in Northern Ireland.”
As of Wednesday, a total of 2,184,162 Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in the North.
The number of of deaths linked to Covid-19 in the North since the start of the pandemic is now 2,166, while a total of 143,433 people have had a confirmed diagnosis of the virus.
