Data reveals just 1.39% of 5 to 11 year olds in Northern Ireland have received the Covid jab

Only 1.39% of children aged five to 11 in Northern Ireland have been vaccinated against Covid-19 according to data that has been released.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has created a vaccination toolkit to support uptake as it said safety concerns may be a driving factor for the low uptake in youngsters.

The vaccine has been available to children deemed to be at risk from the virus and those who live with someone who is immunocompromised since December but was opened up to all five to 11 year olds in February.

Commenting on the low uptake in young children to date, Dr Jillian Johnston, Joint Interim Assistant Director in Health Protection at the PHA, said: “Since the start of the Covid-19 vaccinations in December 2020, uptake has varied across the target groups.

“The most recent group to be eligible for vaccination is the 5 to 11 year olds.

“It has only been a couple of months but we haven’t seen the initial surge that other groups experienced, and to date only 1.39% have taken up the offer.

“There are several possible reasons for this, for example parents worrying about the safety of the vaccine versus benefit of being vaccinated, or just simply not knowing where to get their child vaccinated.

“Parents of these children need signposted to the correct information and this is where the toolkit will support organisations seeking to promote Covid-19 vaccination by giving them the tools to do this.”

Others would point to the fact that even based on official statistics there is little evidence that children of this age need the vaccine and it appears parents are very concerned about potential health risks hence the low numbers.