Unvaccinated children could be most vulnerable to COVID and flu this winter

A majority of British adults are already double-jabbed against the coronavirus and now authorities have been pushing them to get their annual flu vaccine for extra protection. Booster COVID vaccinations are also being rolled out to those above the age of 50 and all these efforts have resulted in a decrease in new daily COVID cases reported amongst adults.

Most vulnerable

However, this time around, it looks as though the most vulnerable are children and teenagers. Last month, all above the age of 12 were deemed eligible to get one dose of the Pfizer jab, but most of them have yet to receive their vaccine. Because of the lower vaccination rates, COVID cases have also been surging in this age group.

The threat of COVD, in combination with the flu, could strike disaster for children, students, and schools across the country. It may also put an even heavier burden on the NHS who are already bracing themselves for a difficult winter ahead.

Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate

Given the fact that cold season is fast-approaching, officials have been encouraging parents to do the needful and get their children vaccinated against both infectious diseases. Most recently, they launched the biggest flu vaccination drive in which they sent out 1.5 million text messages and emails to parents, informing them that they could get children up to the age of 16 vaccinated for free.

According to Mirror, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Sajid Javid have also written a letter to parents asking them to encourage their children to get the COVID jab and also continue with testing. They wrote:

We know that some of you will be concerned about the health risks to the young people you care for.

We want to reassure you that the evidence shows that young people remain at very low risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

However, we need to continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Young people who get ill will need to miss school or college, and may spread it to others.

That is why we are encouraging you all to support your children to get vaccinated and to continue to test regularly. This will help to detect cases early, reduce spread, and keep students in education.