London

In the latest expansion of the vaccination programme, the UK's health service has started to roll out Covid vaccines for schoolchildren aged between 12 years and 15 years on Monday.   

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In this age group, around three million children are eligible for one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. This move has been taken after the government's acceptance of the UK Chief Medical Officers' recommendation last week.   

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This week, England and Scotland will begin the vaccines rollout, while Wales and Northern Ireland are scheduled to do it by next week.   

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said, it's encouraging to see 12 to 15-year-olds are starting to get their vaccinations today reflecting our ongoing commitment to protect young people from COVID-19 and minimise any disruption to their education.   

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The vaccine has made a significant difference in saving lives and reducing transmissions, and has met the strict standards of safety and effectiveness of our renowned medicines regulator for those aged 12 and over, the health secretary said.   

The jabs will start in hundreds of schools across the country this week, said the National Health Service (NHS). It added that invitations for a Covid booster dose are also being sent to eligible over-50s this week.   

(With inputs from agencies)