Teens rebel against anti-vaxx parents and hijack debate over safety of Covid ...

Teenagers have rebelled against anti-vaxxers following No10's expansion of the roll-out to include all 16- and 17-year-olds, with youngsters demanding adults stay out of the fierce debate. 

Concerned parents took to social media last night under the 'LeaveOurKidsAlone' hashtag to slam the Government's move — which will mean children get to decide for themselves whether or not they get jabbed. 

But youngsters quickly hijacked the argument, telling adults to take their own advice and let teenagers make up their own mind. 

Youths were 'enraged' by demands they stay unvaccinated, with critics of No10's decision resorting to scare-mongering to persuade youngsters against it.

Teenagers argued they wanted to get inoculated to help protect their grandparents.

And teachers weighed in to support their students, telling 'anti-vaxxing morons' they have no right to deny anyone having a vaccine. 

Health chiefs yesterday unveiled the updated guidance on vaccinating children, in a dramatic U-turn on advice given just two weeks before.

England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said parental consent will not be needed for the jabs, which will be rolled out before children go back to school in September.

And he strongly hinted the programme could be extended to those aged 12 to 15, with No10's expert panel dedicated to reviewing 'emerging data'. 

Safety concerns centre around a rare heart condition called myocarditis, which is up to seven times more common after second doses. 

For this reason, the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) — which advises No10 on vaccine policy — has not yet committed to making concrete plans to give youngsters.

But top scientists questioned what took so long and said the delayed decision means that children will no longer have time to have both doses before term-time.  

Health officials have left it open as to whether boys — who have a higher chance of developing the complication — will be given different advice.

Immediately after the announcement, some parents took to social media to tell the Government to leave their 'kids alone'.

But writing on Twitter, one teenager said: 'Yes, leave us alone. Let us get the vaccines ourselves, and stop pushing your anti-vax agenda's onto us.

'We can make our own minds up. I'm vaccinated and proud to be vaccinated as I know I'm protecting more people than just myself.' 

Another wrote: 'Maybe the anti-vaxxers in #LeaveOurKidsAlone should listen to their own advice and leave us alone?? 

'I've been waiting for this vaccine to help protect my high risk parents for ages and I'm excited to get it over and done with or at least wait for news on a possible nasal vaccine.'

And another said: 'This actually enrages me. As an actual 16-year-old who's scared s***less of needles, I want my Covid vaccine.

'One of my school friends got long Covid so badly she missed almost all of her GCSE mocks.

'Covid is very much a problem for kids, do #LeaveOurKidsAlone.' 

Teacher's came to their students' side, with one writing: 'As a teacher of 16-17 year olds, I can promise you they are the most switched on, worldy-wise, well-informed generation of all time.

'Better than mine and yours. They don't need anti-vaxxing morons to try to deny them anything.

'Shove your #LeaveOurKidsAlone up your arses.'

At a Downing Street briefing, Professor Van Tam said there was 'no time to waste' in starting the rollout to 1.5million 16 and 17-year-olds. 

'Children are going to start going back to colleges and sixth-forms from September, and in Scotland that will be slightly earlier, so there is no time to waste in getting on with this,' he said.

'Now we have the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice on starting that initial first dose in 16 and 17-year-olds, then I want us to proceed as fast as is practically possible.'

Although he said this rollout was unlikely to start next week, it is set to commence very soon, with the jab initially delivered via existing vaccine clinics, GP surgeries and pharmacies. 

The rollout could later be expanded and delivered at secondary schools.

Although the NHS is soon to embark on a booster programme for some more elderly and vulnerable people, Professor Van-Tam insisted there was a 'plentiful' supply of vaccine. 

He added: 'The NHS has been preparing for multiple options for very many weeks now and I would expect this programme will start in a very short number of weeks.'

The JCVI's decision to recommend the jabs for 16 and 17-year-olds came less than three weeks after it stated that only under-18s with learning disabilities or chronic health conditions should be eligible for a vaccine. 

That had followed concern over a rare side effect called myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation.

Now however, the committee believes it has 'more certainty' that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks and that serious side effects are rare and mainly come after a second dose. 

But the side effects are more common in boys than girls, according to data, and the JCVI have left it open as to whether different advice on second doses will be given to male teenagers. 

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the JCVI and a paediatrician at the University of Bristol, said separate advice for boys was 'theoretically on the cards'.  

He said it was clear myocarditis was primarily a 'second dose risk', with the risk in boys around six per million first doses given out compared to 67 per million second doses. 

Universities minister Michelle Donelan yesterday denied the Government had piled pressure on the JCVI to reverse its policy. Downing Street also insisted it had not leant on the panel.

But, in private, ministers have made little secret of their frustration, especially because authorities in the US, France and Germany have started jabbing children.

The 16 and 17-year-olds will initially be given Pfizer jabs because Moderna has not yet been approved for them.

Boris Johnson encouraged families to listen to the JCVI's advice, saying: 'They are extremely expert there, they're among the best, if not the best, in the world, they know what's safe and I think we should listen to them and take our lead from them.'

Health Secretary Sajid Javid added: 'The JCVI will continue to review data and provide updates on at-risk groups aged 12 to 15 and whether any additional groups will be added.'

He later confirmed the rollout for those aged 16 and 17 could take place via schools. 'It will be this month and so the way we're going to roll this out, I think as people will expect, is working through the clinicians, working through GPs, through the primary care networks,' he said.

'Also, we will use hospital hubs, we will use hubs like the one in Bournemouth I visited today – that I was very impressed by. And also we'll be working through the already existing schools vaccination programme, which I think will help to bolster this.'

But some scientists questioned why the JCVI was not including 12 to 15-year-olds.

Children over 12 are eligible for the jab only if they have severe underlying health conditions or live with a vulnerable relative. 

Peter Openshaw, a professor at Imperial College London and a government adviser, said: 'Vaccination of teenagers may have a major effect on the return of Covid next winter, assuming that the rates will drop this summer.

'Full vaccination takes time, so the sooner we start the sooner this age group will be protected.' 

Dr PAUL McKAY: I understand parents' concerns over Covid jab, but vaccinating is the right thing to do 

Commentary By Professor Paul McKay

Any parent can be forgiven for feeling perplexed, if not alarmed, by the rapid reversal of the Government’s position on Covid vaccination in the under-18s.

Less than three weeks ago, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) ruled out the ‘routine use of universal vaccination of children’ as data suggested the benefits did not outweigh the risks for youngsters.

Yesterday we learned the jab is to be offered to 16 and 17-year-olds after all.

So what is going on and how worried should parents and their teenagers be about the claims and counter-claims on safety? Tens of millions of Britons are now double-jabbed – part of a coronavirus shield that protects us individually as well as those around us.

But vaccine availability has largely been limited to adults. That has set us apart from many other countries, including the US, Canada and France, which are routinely vaccinating all over-12s. That does not mean that we are lagging behind. On the contrary, assessing the benefits of vaccinating youngsters against any possible risks is an on-going process.

And now JCVI scientists have

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