Covid in Falkirk: More than two in five teenagers double jabbed

Teenagers were urged to get their second jab ahead of their return to school after the Christmas break, in an effort to tackle the Omicron wave.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that 16 to 17-year-olds receive a second dose of the Covid jab in November – extending the advice to those aged 12 to 15 just before Christmas.

Figures from the UK coronavirus dashboard show 1,791 people aged 16 and 17 in Falkirk had received two jabs by January 16 – at least 53 per cent of the age group.

A further 2,887 12 to 15-year-olds had received two doses of a Covid vaccine by that date, equating to 39 per cent of the age group.

It means 4,678 under-18s in Falkirk are double-jabbed – at least 44 per cent of the age group, based on mid-2020 population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

They are among 8,054 (75 per cent) who had received a first dose by January 16.

John Jolly, chief executive at charity Parentkind, said while measures such as face coverings in schools and vaccines for under 18s were “inevitably polarising” among parents, their research showed the majority wanted their child’s educational experience to return to some form of normality.

He said: “Clearly, a challenge to that will come in reconciling the divide in parents’ views of the best way to achieve this, particularly when it comes to the role of protective measures against the spread of Covid.

“However ministers make decisions on updating their guidance, they must keep in mind the impact on parents and on family life that their policies will have.”

Across Scotland, 67 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds have had at least one dose of the Covid jab, including 27 per cent who have received two.

The rates for 16 and 17-year-olds stood at 82 per cent for a first dose and 51 per cent for second jabs by January 16.

A Government spokesperson said getting children vaccinated was helping to keep schools open for face-to-face lessons.

They added: “The scientific evidence is clear, vaccines are the best way to protect young people and their friends and family from Omicron."

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