ENGLAND’S secondary school vaccination rollout is faltering — as Scotland surges ahead.
Fewer than a tenth of 12 to 15-year-olds in England have been jabbed, with school heads saying stretched vaccination teams are struggling to cope with demand.
But Scotland has proportionately vaccinated three times more pupils partly thanks to kids being able to access walk-in centres — which England does not allow.
Experts are now calling for adult mobile vaccination centres in England to be opened to teens.
Immunologist Professor Peter Openshaw said: “We need to look at all possible measures to improve teen vaccination rates in England, including drop-in clinics.”
As of last week, data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed just 9 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds in England had received the vaccine.
This represents about 257,400 children.
Meanwhile, Scotland had vaccinated 27.9 per cent of its 12 to 15-year-olds as of Wednesday, representing more than 65,000 children.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said the union was concerned about the speed of England’s vaccination rollout.
He said schools had reported that vaccination teams “underestimated the challenge of vaccinating so many students at once”.
