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Following the Government’s confirmation that it has accepted the recommendation that children be offered the vaccination to help protect their education, and avoid more Covid-related disruption, executive members and the Director of Public Health have spoken about the importance of getting vaccinated.
Cllr Catherine Gibbons, North Somerset Council’s executive member for education, said: “Learning is essential for children, and for most a lot of this will be done in school.
“The disruption they have had to face during these last 18 months has not only been detrimental to their education, but also to their mental health and social development.
“It’s also had a huge impact on parents and carers as they’ve been forced to navigate switching between face-to-face teaching and home-schooling.
“It’s so important we do all we can to keep children in school, so I encourage everyone to take up this offer of a vaccination and give children the best chance to avoid future outbreaks of Covid-19.”
Executive member for health, Cllr Mike Bell, said: “Being in school is not just about learning, it’s also an opportunity for children to mix with their friends and be active, which is so important for their overall health and wellbeing.
“By getting vaccinated children will reduce their risk of catching and spreading Covid, which means their school is less likely to see future outbreaks.
“The vaccination is safe and brings more benefits than just the reduced risk of getting seriously ill from the infection.”
North Somerset Council’s Director of Public Health, Matt Lenny, added: “As well as getting vaccinated children and staff at schools can reduce the risk of Covid outbreaks by making sure they stay home and get tested if they develop any symptoms of the disease, including a temperature, new continuous cough, or change to their sense of taste or smell.
“By adding together all the things we’re already doing to prevent Covid infection with the protection children will get from vaccination, we’ve got the best chance for them to stay in school this winter.”