VIRTUALLY any child between the ages of 12 and 15 would get COVID-19 at some point without vaccination, England’s chief medical officer has said.

Professor Chris Whitty said that the highest rate of coronavirus transmission is currently occurring in children of this age group.

Speaking to a committee of MPs headed by Harlow MP Robert Halfon, he said that “there is definitely substantial transmission happening in this age group… as far as we can tell”.

“Virtually any child, unvaccinated, is likely to get an infection at some point between 12 and 15,” he said.

And on vaccinating young people, Mr Whitty said that “we are very clear this is not a silver bullet” but that it “will significantly reduce… the amount of disruption” to education.Advertisement

Also speaking about giving one dose of the Pfizer vaccine to school children, deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the side effects of that first dose are lower than those from a second dose.

He went on to say it is “extremely inconvenient to be laid low” by COVID-19, albeit for a small number of days.

Mr Whitty said that half of children have already had coronavirus during the pandemic.