Petition · past parliament

Priorities giving the COVID-19 vaccine to; Children, Teachers, and Nursery staff

Rejected 11 signatures

What the petition asks

I want Children and those working with Children to be prioritised when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Thankfully children are known to be less likely to suffer from the symptoms of COVID-19. However the latest research suggests that children are more easily able to pick up the new strain of the disease.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55406939

Therefore to prevent an increase in the R rate when schools reopen, it is vital children and adults working with children be given top priority when it comes to the vaccine.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for approving the safety of vaccines. At the moment, the covid-19 vaccines have only been approved for over 18s.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation have said that "there is very limited data on vaccination in adolescents, with no data on vaccination in younger children, at this time." You can find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-30-december-2020/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation-advice-on-priority-groups-for-covid-19-vaccination-30-december-2020

You could start a new petition asking for the government to fund research into the safety of covid-19 vaccines for children, if that's something that you'd like to happen.

You may wish to sign this petition:

Prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for Covid-19 vaccination:
Prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for Covid-19 vaccination

Timeline

22 Dec 2020 Petition opened for signatures
30 Dec 2020 Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 11
Status Rejected
Rejected 30 Dec 2020

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.