Greens: vaccinate teenage workers
The Scottish Greens have called for 16 and 17-year old workers to be offered the vaccine to mitigate against the heightened risk they are being put under as workplaces reopen.
The call follows a letter from the Chief Medical to the JCVI, calling for guidance on vaccinating people over 12 to be reviewed. [1]
Current guidance says under 18s will not be offered the virus, apart from those with pre-existing conditions or who live with vulnerable people.
Commenting, Scottish Greens spokesperson for young people Ross Greer said:
“Young workers have been consistently put in some of the highest risk environments during the pandemic, particularly key workers in supermarkets and other shops. They deserve the same protection as the rest of us through vaccination, so I welcome the Chief Medical Officer’s call to review vaccinations for teenagers. This has been hugely successful in other countries, with high uptake from young people eager to protect themselves and those around them.
“We know that Pfizer/BioNTech has been approved down to the age of 12 and is currently being offered to a small number of vulnerable young people or those living with vulnerable family members, so there is no reason why we can’t offer it to at-risk workers too.”