London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Child Covid vaccinations: Your questions answered

Child Covid vaccinations: Your questions answered

Children aged between five and 11 in England will be offered a low-dose Covid vaccine, the government says.

Northern Ireland has said it will also follow Wales and Scotland in offering young children the vaccine.

Our health correspondents Smitha Mundasad and Philippa Roxby answer some of your questions:

If our children are 11 are we just better to wait for them to turn 12 and get the full vaccine? (Caroline Foster)


The benefits of getting a vaccine are likely to apply mainly to a future wave of infection.

And we don't know for certain when the next wave will occur or how severe it will be.

Most healthy children do not get severely ill from Covid-19 but some do.

With this in mind families may decide to take the paediatric dose for their 11-year-olds while their children are eligible - as this will provide some protection relatively quickly.

Experts are advising children to have their vaccines in the school holidays to avoid disruption to their education from any flu-like side effects of the jab.

How can we be sure of the long term side effects when this is such a new vaccine? (Sarah Melvin)


Covid vaccines may not have been around of many years but they have been heavily scrutinised from the moment they were developed.

Safety monitoring systems set up around the world - including the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority - collect and share the very latest information from the hundreds of millions of people who have been vaccinated against Covid so far.

This shows most side-effects are mild and short-lived - such as pain at the injection site or a fever. Some more serious side-effects, including inflammation of the heart muscle, are rare.

Looking at the history of other vaccines, most side-effects become apparent within the first few months of having a jab. And side-effects need to be weighed against the harms of Covid infection.

My daughter is five, she was born with a congenital heart defect and I have NO IDEA whether to take up the vaccine or not. There's no clear guidance for people like us (Charlotte)


Some medical conditions put children at higher risk of getting severe Covid. This includes chronic heart conditions and in some cases congenital heart disease.

If your child's illness is on the at-risk list - and it would be best to check with her GP or specialist - then the advice is she should be offered two doses of the vaccine to help protect her from severe disease.

Otherwise healthy children are at lower risk of severe Covid but a small number will still get very unwell with it.

My 11-year-old has already recently had Covid with mild symptoms, so presumably given that, and the associated risk of myocarditis, she should avoid having the vaccine? (Justin Edmund-White)


Natural immunity arising from prior infection will contribute towards protection against future infection and disease.

But how strong that protection is can vary highly from person to person.

And some studies suggest protection against severe disease is more consistently strong from vaccines.

Getting vaccinated - even if someone has had Covid-19 already - means they are more likely to be protected for longer.

The potential benefits from vaccination apply mainly to a future wave of infection; the more severe a future wave, the greater the likely benefits.

In terms of side-effects, in the United States, fewer than two cases of vaccine-related myocarditis have been reported per million doses.

My 10-year-old has had Covid-19 twice already this winter. Wouldn't it be better to wait to give her strong protection from the virus next winter? (Heidi Norman)


The UK's vaccine advisory body has recommended the jab for your daughter but there's no major rush for her to get it.

Children are at extremely low risk from the virus and if she has recently been infected, she will have some in-built protection already.

She would have to wait for four weeks after her last infection before having a jab in any case.

Two vaccine doses on top that would mean she would be well-protected if there was a new variant or a new wave of infections this winter.

The vaccines aren't very good at stopping infections but they do provide strong protection against serious disease, and that lasts for some time.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×