‘Children better off catching covid naturally than having a jab’

Allowing children to catch Covid-19 naturally may be better for them than vaccination, according to a member of the committee deciding whether to offer jabs to teenagers.

Professor Robert Dingwall, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said that given how mild illness was in teenagers, vaccines had to be “exceptionally safe” not to do more harm than good.

Arguing that the current “last wave” of infections in young people may be bringing the pandemic to an end, he urged people not to “panic about infection rates”, saying that Covid was no longer a significant cause of death, and science should not aim to “deliver immortality”.

The committee is due to produce recommendations on vaccinating children within the coming weeks but has repeatedly put back a decision as it seeks more safety data from America. It is understood to be leaning towards recommending against jabs for teenagers.