THE NHS faces a battle convincing some parents to get their children vaccinated from Covid-19.

While more than half of Wiltshire’s 12 to 15-year-olds are immunised from the strain of coronavirus that has sparked a two-year pandemic, the body behind the rollout is urging for more to come forward.

The start of a new school term is traditionally when coronavirus cases spread faster within schools and many have had to close or send home whole year groups after outbreaks.

Despite that, there seems to be a minority who do not want to get their child vaccinated.

Georgia-Lei King-Taylor said as part of the discussion that the pressures of the pandemic have been unprecedented for young people.

She said: “It’s bad enough having the young ones wanting and needing a test for Covid-19.

“The reassurance they need daily so they feel like they are safe is crazy enough.”

Hannah Jones said: “My child does not require a vaccine for their health and as such, they will not be having one.”

Sophie Elizabeth said her child was not vaccinated.

“And he won’t be either. Not until he’s of a mind to responsibly decide himself.”

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has stressed the link between getting children vaccinated with keeping schools open.

“Vaccines will protect young people from Omicron, help to keep schools open and protect their friends and families,” he said.

“Many young people can get their first or second dose at school, at walk-in sites or parents can book one of the half a million vaccination appointments up for grabs across the country this month.”

Gill May, Director of Nursing and Quality for Wiltshire CCG is determined to make sure that uptake is as high as possible in the county.

“More than half of all children aged between 12 and 15-years-old in our region have already received a vaccine, and while this is a fantastic achievement, we want to ensure uptake is as high as it possibly can be,” she said.

“We know from experience that cases of coronavirus among children usually increase at the start of a new school term, but with the Omicron variant proving to be highly transmissible, the beginning of 2022 could see a very sharp rise in the number of young people testing positive for Covid-19.

Ms May also noted the power vaccines have to make schools safer.

She added: “In order to keep children safe, as well as to minimise disruption to their learning, it’s incredibly important that parents discuss vaccination with their children and arrange an appointment for either a first or second dose as soon as possible.”

COVID-19 is usually mild in most children, but it can make some children unwell.

Children can get the first dose of the vaccine from the day they turn 12 and can get the second 12 weeks after.