The NHS on Sunday (January 30) expanded its Covid-19 vaccination programme to include vulnerable children aged five to 11 years.
Eligible children include those with diabetes, immunosuppression, learning disabilities, and other conditions as outlined by the UK Health Security Agency in the Green Book.
Additionally, children living with someone immunosuppressed will be eligible to get the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in line with advice issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
According to the NHS, there are around 500,000 eligible children in the latest cohort.
GP and deputy lead for NHS vaccination programme Dr Nikki Kanani, said: "We know vaccines give significant protection against severe illness from Covid - including the omicron variant, so it is important that our youngest and most at-risk get protected.
All children aged five to 11 in England will be offered a Covid-19 vaccine, the government said on Wednesday (February 16) - following similar announcements
in the rest of the UK.
The move, coming nearly two months after British regulators approved Pfizer and BioNTech's shot for use among the age group, sees Britain following the lead of the
United States, the European Union and other countries.
It has only been vaccinating at-risk under-12s and those who live with immuno-suppressed people, using a lower-dose formulation of the jab that was found to be "safe
and effective".
However, health secretary Sajid Javid - who has responsibility for England only - said he had now accepted guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation, which advises UK health departments, to expand the rollout.
"The NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April so parents can, if they want, take up the offer to increase protection against
potential future waves of Covid-19 as we learn to live with this virus," he said in a statement.