UK minister responsible for the vaccination against Covid-19 Nadhim Zahawi announced on Sunday that a decision had not yet been taken on whether healthy children aged between 12 and 15 years old should be vaccinated. The statement comes just days before the launch of a campaign aimed at youth Britons, Reuters reported.

UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) previously declined to recommend vaccinations for children in that group, taking a precautionary approach due to a rare risk of heart inflammation, but adding the issue was finely balanced.

The government is consulting medical advisers to seek advice on wider considerations, such as the impact on schools, and may still give the go-ahead to broad vaccination of the age group. Some newspapers reported confidence among ministers that the chief medical officers would swiftly back shots for healthy 12 to 15 year olds, but Zahawi said the government would not prejudge the decision. "No decision will be made until we hear back from the chief medical officers," Zahawi told the BBC.

Children are being widely vaccinated already in the United States, Israel and many European countries. British officials have emphasised that 12  to 15 year olds who are vulnerable to Covid-19 are already eligible for vaccination, as well as all people over 16. Zahawi confirmed that proof of vaccination would be required in England for some large events from the end of this month once all adults have been offered two shots.