By Alistair Smout

LONDON, (Reuters) – The recent increase in COVID-19 cases among English children is fuelling concern from some scientists about the slow roll-out of vaccines in schools. This could pose a risk to children’s health and safety.

British COVID-19 incidences are higher in Britain than elsewhere in Europe and on the rise. A survey showed that prevalence had reached its highest point since January with 8 percent of secondary school students infected.

The England age group has lower vaccination rates than many European countries, including Scotland. Some scientists attribute this to mixed messages around vaccines for children and inflexibility in the rollout.

Lawrence Young, virologist from University of Warwick said that “the worry right now is that it is very clear that the vaccination program in 12- to 15-year olds is not working well.” He also warned that the spread of viruses to other people could cause a crisis for the National Health Service, if they spread to more elderly and vulnerable individuals.

“With all the implications that this means, not just for schools but also for overburdening the NHS… the concern is that autumn, and winter will become very, very messy.”

Britain’s Chief Medical Officers recommended last month that children aged 12-15 receive the COVID-19 vaccine in order to lessen disruption to their education.

However, many people believe the rollout of COVID was delayed because teachers and students missed school due to it.

Young explained that “The final approval of this was for education protection and we are not doing that.”

MARGINAL SITUATION

Health service officials set the goal of providing all children with vaccinations by next week’s school half-term break.

The data released Thursday revealed that 28.8% children aged 12-17 years had been administered a COVID-19 injection.

However, the rollout of 16- and 17-year olds started in August before school went back. Term had reopened for three weeks in England when the rollout began to 12 to 15-years-olds.

Following a decision by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to decline to recommend wide vaccination of more than 12 year-olds, the chief medical officers were referred the matter to them.

One major difference is whether or not vaccinations prevent mild COVID from transmission to schools, in light of the more contagious Delta strain. The JCVI believes that vaccines should have been started sooner.

Adam Finn, a member of JCVI, stated that “the extent to which the situation could be modified, or indeed are currently modifying it, by immunising kids always was going to remain modest.”

“We should not imagine that we have missed some significant effect that would benefit children or anyone else. Because the vaccines (preventing transmission) just don’t work very efficiently, in particular with the Delta version.

Finn explained that both the risk of infection and shots are small and it was appropriate that children and their parents could decide whether they wanted to have the shot. However, the emphasis should not be placed on who takes up the offer.

We allowed individuals to decide in an extremely marginal setting whether they wanted to immunize their children. All who chose to did it went ahead. That’s okay. Others that did not went ahead were fine, too.

FORSEEABLE PROBLEM

The rollout of the vaccine in England, however, is happening through schools.

Scotland has a 46.5% rate of COVID shots among its 12- and 15-year olds. However, there are walk-in facilities available for vaccination in Scotland. Children are no longer dependent on their schools for access.

The Mail on Sunday reports that the government may allow children between 12 and 15 to receive their vaccines at English walk-in clinics.

Professor Brian Ferguson of the University of Cambridge’s Division of Immunology said while there was a natural decrease in child take-up, he worried that not all English children have access to shots.

“The issue at the moment, is that there’s a slow rollout for this process in a time that also has a high incidence of these cases,” he said to Reuters.

“This is making it difficult to get vaccines to the children who are interested in them… I believe that this problem could have been prevented.”