Coronavirus live: UK reports 138 deaths amid 21,691 new cases; row in Germany over jabbing children
UK deaths are highest since mid-March; doctors, scientists and the government disagree over vaccinating children in Germany
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An additional 138 people in the UK died from coronavirus on Tuesday – the highest number since 17 March – and 21,691 new people tested positive.
There were 6,099 patients in hospital with coronavirus on Monday and 895 patients in beds with ventilators.
Nicola Sturgeon has suggested that new advice from the UK’s vaccine advisory panel in the coming days will recommend opening up the vaccine programme to all over-16s across the UK.
Making a statement to the Scottish parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Sturgeon told MSPs that she was “hoping” to get the updated advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) “over the next day or so”.
The JCVI are our advisory body so they have to give us the advice they think is right and I respect that. I am hoping it will recommend going further on the vaccination of young people.
I am particularly concerned if possible to get vaccinations to 16- and 17-year-olds, which is obviously important for those who will be, for example, going to college and university and mingling with older young people who are vaccinated. But we’ll see what that advice brings and we stand ready to implement that as quickly as possible.
Related: First year of pandemic claimed lives of 25 young people in England
Read the original article at The Guardian