A top health expert has warned of the possibility of Covid spreading "uncontrollably" among youth if they are not vaccinated ahead of their return to school.
University of Edinburgh Professor and Covid Advisor to the First Minister, Devi Sridhar, expressed her fears of Covid-19’s long term effects among young people in the UK and the risk of schools returning.
Writing for the Guardian, she criticised the UK Government’s casual approach in vaccinating young people aged under 18, claiming it could result in an ‘uncontrolled epidemic among younger people’, especially with schools returning soon.
England dropped the majority of it's restrictions in July, but the vaccine is yet to be offered to younger people, unless they are in the vulnerable category or about to turn 18.
READ MORE: 'Strong grounds for hope' that Scotland will lift most restrictions on August 9
However, countries such as Israel, Italy and France are pushing ahead with vaccinations for children aged 12-15. In Germany, parents are able to consent for their children to be vaccinated, and 25 per cent of Americans aged 12-15 are already fully vaccinated.
Professor Devi Sridhar hit out at the relaxed approach in vaccinations for the UK’s younger generation.
She wrote: “The current approach in England seems to be to let teenagers get on with it and see what happens once they’re infected. The result will be an uncontrolled epidemic among younger age groups.
“Though I’m not a paediatrician, I struggle to understand how a disease considered risky to adolescents in the US can be considered innocuous in Britain.”
Due to other countries taking decisive action on vaccinating younger people, the Edinburgh professor criticised the current plan of letting the virus make its way through youngsters without knowing its long-term effects. As a result of this plan, she warned that the "relaxed" approach could result in a "petri dish" of "covid variants".
Currently, the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is only advising that children at increased risk of serious coronavirus disease are offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This includes children aged 12 to 15 with severe neuro disabilities, Down’s syndrome, immunosuppression and multiple or severe learning disabilities.
However, the JCVI does not currently advise routine vaccination of children outside of these groups, based on the current evidence. Meaning those aged 12-17 that do not have a risk of serious disease are not offered it.
Speaking today in a coronavirus briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reacted to column by the top advisor.
She said: “I understand exactly why Devi is saying what she is saying, and I have spoken to her directly about these issues.
“But I cannot decide myself as a politician, who gets vaccinated and who doesn’t.
“I’ve got to have basis on that, and the basis right now is the JCVI’s advice."
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