MailOnline’s Deputy Health Editor, Connor Boyd

Britain’s advisory panel for vaccines recommended that children wait 12 weeks to receive their vaccinations after they have caught Covid.   

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation stated that there was evidence to show that a longer time gap can reduce the chance of developing myocarditis. This is a form of inflammation of the heart and has been reported in a few children following vaccination.

The guidance has been updated to apply to children 12-17 years old. Children older than that had previously needed to wait one month to be jabbed.

Adults over 18 should continue to observe the 4-week gap, as well as children at greatest risk for Covid.

Pfizer still offers a single dose to 12- and 15-year olds, while authorities monitor myocarditis rates elsewhere.

However, as per the UK’s regulator’s decision this week that the benefit outweighs the risk, now 16-year-olds and 17 year-olds are eligible for the second jab. 

Over half of the older teens have applied for their first shots, while nearly one-third of those aged 12 to 15 years have received their initial dose. 

Fifteen-year-old Quinn Foakes receiving a Covid-19 vaccination at Belfairs Academy in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, in September

Quinn Foakes, a fifteen-year-old, received a Covid-19 vaccine at Belfairs Academy, Leigh-on-Sea (Essex), in September

Parents who recently had children vaccinated within a short time after the infection became apparent were advised to relax and not worry.

The UK Health Security Agency today announced this move and admitted it could slow down rollout of the national vaccin program. 

However, it stressed that the outbreak should not be a significant concern because of children’s natural immunity.

UKHSA believes that half of secondary school-age pupils are already infected. 

Pfizer’s vaccine can be administered in two doses after 6 months, regardless of your age.

Covid immunity wanes within six months of Pfizer’s second vaccine no matter how old you are, a study has found as the NHS gears up to roll out annual boosters at a cost in the region of £1billion to taxpayers.

The risk of contracting the disease by July in people who had completed the two-dose course before January was 51% greater than for those who got jabbed after January, research from more than one million Israelis found.

Scientists said that people at all ages were more susceptible to getting infected, but the older population is still most vulnerable. 

The study —  by Israeli researchers using medial data from 1.3million adults in the country — is the first to confirm that younger people also see their immunity against the virus wane within months. It was hoped that younger people would be more protected because of their stronger immune systems.

Israel is the leader on vaccinations in the aftermath of the pandemic. They offer boosters to anyone over 16 who has not received their first dose for at least five months. Although it’s too early to determine how soon immunity decreases after receiving a booster vaccine, the researchers believe it can last much longer.

The UK approved top-up doses for over-50s, care home staff and seriously ill patients. In September, ministers expanded this program to cover people up to their 50s.

British vaccine advisers have acknowledged that the vaccines could be administered to young adults, but are still waiting for more evidence about their effectiveness and safety. 

Public Health England was replaced by the agency last month. The agency said that natural infection offered good protection for re-infections for up to three to six months.

The results of a major Israeli study today showed that Pfizer’s vaccine provides similar protection. The immune system is more sensitive to a single dose. 

UKHSA head of immunisations Dr Mary Ramsay said that Covid vaccines have been shown to be very safe. 

“Based on a high-precautionary approach, we recommend that there be a longer period between Covid infection (and vaccination) for people under the age of 18. 

“This rise is based in part on recent UK reports. This may lead to the conclusion that keeping a shorter interval between infection (and vaccination) will decrease the risk of developing myocarditis among younger individuals.

“Young adults and their parents need to be assured that myocarditis, regardless of when they receive the vaccine, is very rare. This change was made on the basis of the greatest precaution.”

“We are committed to providing the best advice possible and we will continue to review it as evidence and data changes occur.”

The UK Government has updated its data to show that myocarditis will be a problem in nine of the million children under 18 years old in Britain after one dose of Pfizer’s Covid jab. That’s the same number as the rate in just over one-fifth of those aged 110,000. 

They will save around 150 children from Covid hospitalizations for each million vaccines they give.

Due to data from Israel as well as the US, the JCVI resisted recommending second-doses of myocarditis treatment for children.  

However, real-world data from the UK in slightly older people – who saw higher rates of myocarditis than in other countries – was not different after the second injection.

It is believed that the gap in dosing between doses is twelve weeks here, while it is between the US and Israel between between the two. 

The JCVI thinks that a 12-week period is the best time to get a shot after natural infections in youths. This has prompted the modification of today’s guidance. 

It is known that the rates of myocarditis are comparable in Britain in both 16- and 17-years-olds as well as 18 to 29 year-olds after the second jab.

This is the reason why the JCVI suggested two jabs to older healthy teens earlier in this week. However, it continues to weigh the evidence regarding younger children. 

The reason why myocarditis risk is lower when there’s more time between natural infections and vaccinations is still unclear. 

This gap might give the immune system time to calm down from the reaction to the first dose or infection.  

The body makes cells that fight Covid infections during immunization or Covid infected. Inflammation can occur if the disease-fighting cell enters the heart.