18 per cent of adults in North still not vaccinated
The move follows approval from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent regulator advising the UK government.
There are approximately 45,000 16 and 17-year-olds in the North of Ireland.
Initially one jab of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be offered with the aim of giving the second dose at a later date.
At the moment it is offered only to those over-12s who have underlying conditions or live with others who are at risk.
Regional vaccination centres and pop-up vaccination clinics across the North of Ireland will be providing walk-in first jabs for 16 and 17-year-olds from Friday, the Department of Health said.
An online booking platform will also be available in the coming days for those who wish to book ahead.
ID and proof of date of birth will be required when attending either a regional vaccination centre or walk-in vaccination clinic.
Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed the latest advice from JCVI and said he had asked officials to ensure it was fully implemented in the North of Ireland as quickly as possible.
He said the JCVI was an independent, expert committee which had “thoroughly assessed a wide range of evidence” and it was important to follow their advice.
According to the experts, after reviewing the data, the overall benefits of giving the vaccine to this age group continue to outweigh the risks.
In July, the JCVI said it could not extend the vaccine offer to 16 and 17-year-olds as it was examining reports of rare adverse events such as inflammation of heart muscles among young adults.
It now says it has had time to review the data which reveals that less than one in 100,000 are at risk, which is extremely rare.
Also advisers in the UK said coronavirus cases were going in the right direction during the summer holidays.
It is thought young people should not need their parents’ consent so long as they understand the risks and benefits around receiving the vaccine.
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