Decision plea over jags for 12 to 17-year-olds

Nicola Sturgeon has issued a plea for a decision to be made “very, very soon” on vaccinating all 12 to 17-year-olds so Scotland can “get on” with it.

The first minister was speaking at an unscheduled coronavirus briefing yesterday as more than 6,000 new coronavirus cases were reported, the highest daily increase ever in Scotland.

Concerns have been raised that the situation is likely to deteriorate further among younger age groups in the coming weeks after pupils returned to Scotland’s schools.

Experts on the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are considering their recommendation on vaccinations for children over 12 years old, having said earlier this month that 16 and 17-year-olds should be given a first dose.

Health services in England are reported to have been told to prepare for a change next month, but Scotland’s school pupils return earlier than their counterparts south of the border.

Ms Sturgeon said it “wouldn’t even be right for me to sound as if I was trying to tell the JCVI what to do”, but urged the advisory panel to make a decision quickly.

“They are the experts. I am a politician, but one trying to take the best decisions to keep the country safe,” the first minister said. “I’ve said before, and I will say again today, that I really hope that the JCVI feels that the evidence allows them – very, very soon – to recommend vaccination for all 12 to 17-year-olds.

“Scottish schools go back earlier than schools in the rest of the UK and I would have ideally liked that to have been the case before our schools went back, but the sooner we get to that point, if the JCVI feel the evidence allows them to make that recommendation, I hope they do that quickly.”

Ms Sturgeon highlighted the vaccination of children being carried out in other countries, which include the US, Canada, France and the Netherlands.

The briefing was told that 6,835 new cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours – the second time in a week that a record new daily figure has been reported.

The number of coronavirus patients in Scotland also continues to rise, with 479 people in hospital on Thursday with recently confirmed Covid19, up 53 on the previous day and an increase from 312 one week ago.

A total of four deaths of coronavirus patients were recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll since the start of the pandemic to 8,103.

● A headline in yesterday’s edition, “Scottish Government mulls ‘circuit breaker’”, failed to reflect that it was a report of claims made in another publication, not a substantiated fact. The first minister has since stated that no such policy is being considered.

Nicola Sturgeon struggled to hide her frustration yesterday at the failure to reach a decision on vaccinating children over the age of 12.

The first minister was at pains to make it clear that it would not be appropriate for her to “sound as if I was trying to tell the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) what to do”.

At the same time, she left these experts in little doubt about what she wanted – and that was the go-ahead to get on with it.

Ms Sturgeon would have preferred if that decision had been made long before now, and she has a point.

Pupils in Scotland have already returned to schools after their holidays, meaning it may be too late to curb a further surge in cases.

With the health of the next generation at stake, the advisory panel cannot be criticised for wanting to get their recommendation right.

However, as we have found out to our cost during this pandemic through the belated introduction of lockdowns, testing and travel controls, the benefits of making the correct decision can be completely undermined if it is made too late.

URGENCY: Nicola Sturgeon highlighted the vaccination of children in other countries.