Safety net plans revealed for 12-to-15s who miss out on Covid vaccines in Northamptonshire schools

Students who miss out on vaccines in schools because they catch Covid will still get their jabs.

Hundreds of 12-to-15-year-olds are among the nearly 18,000 who have tested positive in Northamptonshire during the last 28 days and many of them are still not in school, learning at home while self-isolating.

Vaccinations are only possible for those who have not had a positive coronavirus test within the previous four weeks.

But Chris Pallot, director of the vaccination rollout in Northamptonshire, says teams will not be going back to schools to mop up anybody who wants a jab but misses out.

He said: "There is a high degree of absenteeism in schools at the moment and there will be children who are absent when the team go in.

"After our teams have finished in each school, parents will then receive the details on how they can access the safety net service at a later date at Moulton Park Vaccination Centre.

"That's for any child may have been absent because they've been ill or been away or or may have decided afterwards that they really do want the vaccine."

Studies have shown that most people who catch virus have some protection from getting it again. although Public Health Northamptonshire director Lucy Wightman last week warned that different mutations can get around antibodies.

Delivery of one dose of Pfizer-BionTech vaccine in secondary schools started on September 27 and the rollout is due to be finished in mid-November.

Mr Pallot told BBC Northampton: "Our target is that every school will know when we're visiting by half-term and every parent has had that information.

"We have visited 20 schools already which is about a third. If you haven't had a letter yet, they will be out by next Friday.

"This is a big undertaking for us so please bear with us, the team are working incredibly hard to get through as many as we possibly can."

Nearly 1.1million doses of vaccine have been delivered across all age groups in Northamptonshire although drop-in clinics are available across the county for those who may have missed out.

Booster jabs are now being rolled out for over-50s alongside flu vaccinations.