Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure that 17 year olds who are starting university in the autumn can access the covid-19 vaccine before they are 18 to allow them to be double-vaccinated before they arrive at university.

The Government has accepted the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice that young people, including students, may be offered a COVID-19 vaccination within three months of turning 18 years old. The second dose of the vaccine would be offered eight weeks after the first dose.

Students over the age of 16 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19 have been offered both doses of vaccine as part of phase one of the vaccine deployment programme. Age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations.