91热爆

Bethan from Weymouth had to miss the whole of her last week of the summer term due to self-isolation rules. She's worried about her GCSE exams next May, because of so many under-16 Covid-related issues at her school.
Under current rules, she's not entitled to have the vaccine - but Bethan says it should be offered to her age group as well as 16 and 17 year olds. 91热爆 Radio Solent reporter Laurence Herdman went to meet her.

Public Health Dorset told 91热爆 Radio Solent: 鈥淭he Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the national government on who should be included in the COVID-19 vaccination programme. They consider a number of factors in this decision making, including weighing up potential benefits against potential risks. The current advice from the JCVI is that children and young people aged 12 and over who have specific underlying health conditions that put them at serious risk from COVID-19, or live with someone who is immunosuppressed, should be offered the vaccination. In addition to this, all 16 and 17 year olds will now be offered the vaccine. The JCVI will continue to update its advice as new data emerges.
听
鈥淭hroughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with schools and local authorities to manage the impact of COVID-19 on pupils and staff. We know that many children and young people have had to learn from home during lockdowns and periods of self-isolation and we understand that this has been an incredibly challenging time for them. Schools have worked hard to ensure that pupils continue to receive a high standard of education despite these difficult circumstances.
听
鈥淯nder 18s are no longer required to self-isolate if they are a close contact of a positive case, so we expect the impact of self-isolation on pupils to be significantly reduced as we enter the autumn term. We will continue to monitor the national guidance and update our local response as necessary.鈥�

Public Health England told 91热爆 Radio Solent:

"The JCVI is taking a stepwise approach based on the data available, we want to see more data in these groups before offering them the vaccine. Given that the risks from Covid also decrease in younger age groups, we need to be as certain as we can be that the benefits outweigh any potential risks."

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