On Thursday, Britain's vaccine advisers, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), announced that children aged six months to four years with

underlying medical conditions would be offered COVID-19 vaccinations.

The JCVI recommended that eligible children should receive two doses of the vaccine, with an interval of eight to 12 weeks between the first and second doses. The Pfizer-BioNTech shot, which was authorised for use in this age group by Britain's health regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in December, has already been rolled out for the same age group in the United States.

According to the JCVI statement, data from the US showed that the most common side effects reported were similar to those seen with other vaccines given to children in this age group, such as irritability or crying, sleepiness, and fever.

However, the JCVI did not recommend vaccination of children between six months to four years who are not in a clinical risk group. NHS England has confirmed that it will begin offering vaccinations to those eligible from mid-June. Health and Social Secretary Steve Barclay said that he had accepted the JCVI's advice.