A vaccination programme for secondary school pupils should be rolled out quickly and the policy of wearing masks in classrooms should be reinstated, a former government chief scientific adviser has said, TES reports.
Sir David King, who is also chair of the Independent Sage Group of scientists, told Sky News: “The Pfizer vaccine has already been given the green light in this country to over-12-year-olds. I think we should run that programme forward quickly.
“But we’re opening schools today and the government has said 12- to 18-year-olds no longer need to wear face masks at school – I don’t think that was a wise thing to do and I do hope the government will rethink this in the light of the current figures.”
His comments come as Public Health England revealed new data showing that infections are highest in those aged 10 to 19.
Meanwhile, another leading scientist, Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said that secondary students should be vaccinated to avoid further periods of home learning.
Yesterday, education secretary Gavin Williamson urged students and their families to take a Covid test before returning to the classroom after the holidays.