‘Virtually any child’ would get coronavirus between 12 and 15 without vaccination – Whitty

Published

4 years ago

September 22, 2021

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Virtually any child between the ages of 12 and 15 would get COVID-19 at some point without vaccination, England’s chief medical officer has said.

Professor Chris Whitty said that the highest rate of coronavirus transmission is currently occurring in children of this age group.

Approximately half of all children have already had coronavirus during the pandemic, he added.

Speaking to a committee of MPs, he said that “there is definitely substantial transmission happening in this age group… as far as we can tell”.

“Virtually any child, unvaccinated, is likely to get an infection at some point between 12 and 15,” he said.

And on vaccinating young people, Mr Whitty said that “we are very clear this is not a silver bullet” but that it “will significantly reduce… the amount of disruption” to education.

He added: “You are not comparing a child being vaccinated against nothing happening. You are comparing a child being vaccinated against a near certainty that child will get COVID.

“Under that environment, our estimate is that probably you would have fewer days lost as a result of being vaccinated.”

Although the vaccination programme may cause some disruption to schools, it will be outweighed by the disruption if children caught COVID-19, he said.

“The great majority of children who have not currently had COVID are going to get it at some point,” he added.

“It won’t be necessary in the next two or three months but they will get it sooner or later because this is incredibly infectious… vaccination will reduce that risk.”

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Also speaking about giving one dose of the Pfizer vaccine to school children, deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the side effects of that first dose are lower than those from a second dose.

He went on to say it is “extremely inconvenient to be laid low” by COVID-19, albeit for a small number of days.

Children aged between 12 and 15 have begun receiving a single dose of a coronavirus vaccine, following a recommendation from the UK’s chief medical officers.

The CMOs previously said they believe one jab will have a “marked effect” on classroom absences and community transmission.

Professor Whitty told MPs this decision had not been made for political reasons, or in the interests of more vulnerable adults but purely for the benefit of those aged between 12 and 15.

In cases where the child and their parents disagree over the vaccine – a situation which Professor Whitty said would be “incredibly rare” – the person administering the jab will assess if the child is deemed competent enough to make their own decision.

The President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr Camilla Kingdon, told MPs: “If the child is Gillick competent, they decide whether they do or they don’t have it.”

“Gillick competency” are guidelines used to assess whether a child has the maturity to make their own decisions and understand the implications of those decisions.

Dr Kingdon also told politicians that twice-weekly lateral flow testing of asymptomatic children should be stopped.

She said: “It’s our view that because children are so unlikely to be seriously affected by the viral infection that anything we can do to give back their normal lives – let’s face it having a swab shoved up your nose twice a week is not part of a normal life for a child. I know a lot of children who frankly loathe the experience.”

She said she wanted to move towards a place where COVID is treated like other viral infections, with unwell children encouraged to stay at home regardless of the cause.

UK

Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

2 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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Two children and a woman die after shooting in Northern Ireland

Two children and a woman have died in a shooting in County Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in hospital in the afternoon.

A fourth person, a man, was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, district commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

Police have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched, with enquiries being at an early stage.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests being made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday following a report raised from the property, Supt McGowan said.

Two people were found dead at the scene, and two others seriously injured.

One patient was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and the other to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance. Supt McGowan said the third person died at the South West Acute Hospital.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area”.

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.

UK

Five ‘dangerous’ gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Published

5 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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Five 'dangerous' gang members guilty of murdering boy and man at music video shoot

Five “violent” and “dangerous” gang members have been found guilty of murdering a boy and a young man at a music video shoot in a north London estate.

The men had gone to the Elthorne Estate in Archway “with the intention of killing anyone they could”, the Metropolitan Police said.

And the group mistook those they attacked for rival gang members.

Lorik Lupqi, 21; Jason Furtado, 28; Abel Chunda, 29; Xavier Poponne, 22; and Eden Clark, 31, were convicted of murdering 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and 23-year-old Klevi Shekaj and attempting to murder 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi.

Leonardo and Mr Shekaj were fatally stabbed and Mr Abdullahi was badly hurt when knifemen descended on the event on the night of 29 June 2023.

Leonardo and his brother had been watching a music video being filmed with friends.

Police said Lupqi, a gang member from Islington, saw the gathering at around 8.30pm and took it as an opportunity to hurt those he thought were gang opponents.

He messaged his girlfriend stating that “opps were outside”. She advised him to remain inside, but Lupqi decided to contact his close friend and gang associate Jason Furtado.

They formed a plan and recruited gang members Chunda, Clark and Poponne to travel to the estate.

Lupqi had booked a taxi to pick up the three men from the area of Furtado’s home address in Canonbury, north London, telling the cab firm: “I’m in a little bit of a rush,” the jury heard.

They had worn masks and were armed as they went to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi, the court was told.

By the time they arrived, the filming had ended, and most people had left, but some local children and teenagers remained in the area.

The group then carried out their deadly attack.

The alarm was raised as a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava was spotted crouching down and moving towards Leonardo, his brother and others, with a large knife.

Three more males in black stood up from where they had been hiding behind cars as they edged towards the group, the court was told.

Leonardo was stabbed in the chest, with the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss.

Leonardo’s brother had run away from the scene but later looped back and saw his sibling lying motionless on the ground, the court heard.

Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body.

He was driven to Whittington Hospital by members of the public but he died on arrival.

Detective Inspector Jim Barry said: “These violent men went into this estate with the intention of killing anyone they could, under the false impression that those there were rival gang members.

“This was a senseless, violent act which has shattered the lives of so many, especially Leonardo and Klevi’s loved ones.

“This dangerous group of men will now spend a long time behind bars but the effect of what they did will be felt by the victim’s shattered families for longer.”

The five killers will appear at the same court on 25 and 26 September for sentencing.

UK

Third person dies after shooting in Northern Ireland

Published

5 hours ago

July 23, 2025

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A third person has died in a shooting in Co Fermanagh, police have said.

Two people were killed in the shooting on Wednesday morning, and a third, who was seriously injured, died in the afternoon.

A fourth person was seriously injured in the shooting in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

All victims were from the same household, Superintendent Robert McGowan, District Commander for Fermanagh and Omagh, said at a news conference.

They have cordoned off the scene in the village of Maguiresbridge, about 75 miles (120km) southwest of Belfast.

“We can advise there is no ongoing risk to the public,” a Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesperson said.

There was no mention of a motive behind the shooting.

A murder investigation has been launched.

Supt McGowan said at the news conference that police don’t anticipate any arrests to be made at this stage.

Emergency services were called to the shooting in the Drummeer Road area of the village at around 8am on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said.

They confirmed that two people had been injured.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at scene, one patient has been taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, by air ambulance and another to South West Acute Hospital by ambulance,” the spokesperson added.

Drummeer Road is currently closed, police said, warning that this could lead to delays on alternative roads.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: “The news from Maguiresbridge is tragic and deeply distressing.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and the local community in Fermanagh. I would urge the public not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.”

Sinn Fein MP Pat Cullen has expressed her deep shock over the shooting, saying: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victims and their families at this tragic time.”

DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, who represents the area in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said that the community was “stunned” by the shooting in “a rural, quiet area.”

“Everyone is deeply affected by what has happened this morning,” she said.