UK approves vaccines for 12-15s, aims to avoid lockdowns

LONDON - Britain decided Monday to follow other countries in offering coronavirus vaccines to children 12 and up, as the government gambled that expanded vaccination and mild tweaks to social behavior can avert the need for lockdowns in the winter.

Vaccinations for children and booster shots for at-risk adults are part of a "tool kit" to control COVID-19 infections this fall and winter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce Tuesday at a news conference.

On Monday, the chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland recommended that children aged 12 to 15 be given a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, despite the government's vaccine advisors saying this month that the step would have only marginal health benefits.

https://www.startribune.com/uk-approves-vaccines-for-12-15s-aims-to-avoid-lockdowns/600096648/