The child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection– Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1990

THE Covid-19 pandemic and its management has become one of the most contentious issues in a generation.One of the biggest difficulties for the public has been the frequent shifting of the goalposts by the government and the lack of clear published data to support many of the measures they have introduced.One of the most serious aspectshas been the silencing of any questions and the consequent divisions created within society and even within families.Nothing exemplifies this more than the issue of vaccination of children.

Last year, the first chair of the Government’s Vaccine Task Force, Kate Bingham, was clear that the vaccines would be rolled out to older adults and those with health vulnerabilities, and we were led to understand that this group…