The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have confirmed that children aged 5 to 11 years who are in recognised risk groups should receive two doses of the paediatric dose (10μg) of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine at an interval of at least eight weeks.” *
As the government considers whether to relax the rules (in England) rather earlier than expected we wanted to make you aware that you may now book your first vaccination for ‘at risk’ youngsters aged between 5-11 years old.
If you think your child is eligible, and you would like them to have the vaccine, please reach out to your GP to arrange an appointment.
Those considered at risk are listed in the Greenbook Chapter 14a (vaccination information for public health professionals).
If your GP is unaware, please refer them to the recommendations. Table 4 lists clinical and other risk groups for children and young people aged 5-15, such as those with chronic respiratory disease, chronic heart disease and others. This information can be found on page 22 of the Greenbook Chapter 14a.
The document specifically lists those with chronic conditions of the kidney, liver or digestive system, including those associated with congenital malformations of the organs, metabolic disorders and neoplasms, and conditions such as severe gastro-oesophageal reflux that may predispose to respiratory infection.
Your child may even fit into more than one category. See pages 21 and 22 of the guidance.
A decision on the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 years who are not in recognised risk groups is pending further consideration by JCVI.
You can download a copy of the Greenbook Chapter 14a here.
Additional COVID-19 resources for parents and carers of 5-11 year olds can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-resources-for-children-aged-5-to-11-years
* Source Greenbook, Chapter 14a, pp 21
