Moderna Covid vaccine has been approved for kids aged 12-17 in the UK
THE Moderna Covid jab can be given to kids aged 12-17 in the UK.
It has been given the green light by Britain's drugs regulation agency today.
The regulator said it's now up to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise the Government on the next step.
They will have to then decide if children in the UK in this age group can get the Moderna shot.
Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive said: “I am pleased to confirm that that the Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna has now been authorised in 12-17 year olds.
"The vaccine is safe and effective in this age group.
“We have in place a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the safety of all UK-approved Covid-19 vaccines and this surveillance will include the 12- to 17-year age group.
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“It is for the JCVI to advise on whether this age group should be vaccinated with the Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna as part of the deployment programme.”
The Department of Health has asked the JCVI for a formal recommendation on whether to give the Moderna jab to 12 to 17-year-olds.
A spokesperson for the department said: "We welcome the news that Moderna's vaccine has been approved as safe and effective for people aged 12 and over."
At the moment, only a select group of vulnerable children over 12 can get the vaccine.
And those aged 16 and 17 have only recently been allowed to book in for one shot of the life-saving jab.
Every other Brit over 18 can have two vaccines, with people under 40 being offered the Pfizer or Moderna jab.
Anyone over 40 should have already had their two jabs months ago, and were able to have any of the vaccines on offer.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 Chair for JCVI, said: "After carefully considering the latest data, we advise that healthy 16- to 17-year-olds are offered a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Advice on when to offer the second vaccine dose will come later.
“While Covid-19 is typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be very unpleasant for some and for this particular age group, we expect one dose of the vaccine to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.”
One expert said children won't need their parents' consent to have their vaccines.
Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, said: "Clearly, the ideal situation would be for the decision to vaccinate to be taken with the parent or guardian. However, there is an assumption that young people of this age have the capacity to make their own decisions."
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The JCVI said it is confident that young people will have 80 per cent protection against hospitalisation from Covid after their first dose.
It is thought that protection will be higher in younger people as they will respond better to jabs than older age groups.