The UK will extend its Covid-19 vaccination programme to 16- and 17-year-olds, bringing the country more closely into line with international counterparts, such as the US and France, which have already jabbed substantial numbers of children.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday that the government had accepted the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). He said this age group would be offered their first dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine later in August ahead of the return to schools and colleges.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, Covid-19 chair for JCVI, said that although Covid-19 was “typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be very unpleasant for some and for this particular age group, we expect one dose of the vaccine to provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation”.