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<p>On 26 February the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
(JCVI) published their interim advice for phase two of the COVID-19 vaccination programme
which is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-phase-2-of-the-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-programme-advice-from-the-jcvi"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-phase-2-of-the-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-programme-advice-from-the-jcvi</a></p><p>The
JCVI has advised that the evidence indicates that certain occupations have a higher
risk of exposure and these are more likely to be occupations involving frequent contact
with multiple other people in enclosed settings. However, delivery of a programme
targeting occupational groups is recognised to be operationally complex given a number
of key factors including that robust data on the infection exposure risk for every
occupational group, or in every occupational setting, are not available. Regarding
school staff specifically, data sources considered by the JCVI suggest that risk of
infection among staff in educational settings is comparable with that seen in the
general population.</p><p>We will follow the recommended approach of the JCVI, subject
to the final advice given by the independent expert committee. School staff and other
frontline workers who are over 50 years old or who have underlying health conditions
which make them clinically vulnerable to COVID-19 will be vaccinated in the current
first phase, which will be completed by the middle of April.</p>
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