One in ten children against getting Covid jab
Just under two thirds of children in the UK want to receive a coronavirus vaccination, research has found, as the NHS prepares to extend its rollout to 12 to 15-year-olds.
Some 2,000 children aged 10-17 across the UK were asked if they agreed or disagreed that they would like to get the vaccine by The Children’s Society, with 62 per cent agreeing.
Just 11 per cent said they disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement, ahead of a decision from experts on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
At the moment, 12-15 year olds can only receive a vaccine dose if they live with a vulnerable adult or have certain health conditions.
Countries to begin vaccinating children aged 12 and over include the US, Canada, France and the Netherlands.
In the charity’s survey, a further 16 per cent said they neither agreed nor disagreed while 11 per cent responded said they did not know or preferred not to say.
Nearly 88 per cent of over-16s in the UK have had the first dose of a Covid vaccine.
Parents and carers were also asked for their views with the statement “I would like my child to get the Covid-19 vaccine if/when it is available to children.”
Some 66 per cent agreed while 11 per cent disagreed and 13 per cent said they neither agreed nor disagreed.
In most cases, parents’ responses matched their child’s sentiment with views aligning in over three quarters (78 per cent) of instances. This was when answers were grouped into three categories of agree, neither agree nor disagree, and disagree.