Monday 09 August 2021
Following the announcement last week from the Joint Committee on Vaccine & Immunisation (JCVI) regarding the benefit of vaccines for young people aged 16 and over, the Committee for Health & Social Care (who are responsible for the Bailiwick Vaccination Programme) has agreed that all Bailiwick residents aged 16 and over should be vaccinated as soon as possible.
As with previous phases of the programme, residents who fall into this age group will be contacted by letter in order to arrange a date for vaccination at the Community Vaccination Centre. In addition, they are welcome to attend any drop-in session at the Community Vaccination Centre, if this is easier, once they have received their invitation letter. If they attend a drop-in, they will need to provide proof of identity and their address.
The JCVI recommendation is that those over the age of 16 should receive 1 dose as soon as possible in order to provide them around 80% protection against hospitalization from COVID-19.
Alex Hawkins-Drew, Lead for the Bailiwick Vaccination Programme said:
'Now we have certainty from the JCVI regarding vaccination for children and young people, we are working hard to ensure that they receive their first dose of vaccination as soon as possible. We await further guidance on when the second dose should be provided.'
The JCVI have not recommended vaccinating under-16s without underlying health conditions but will keep its position under review based on the latest data.
Those aged 12 to 15 with severe neuro-disabilities, Down's Syndrome, specific conditions that cause immunosuppression and profound and multiple or severe learning disabilities, as well as people in this age group who are a close household contacts of individuals who are immunosuppressed, are eligible for vaccination. We are working closely with our health colleagues to identify those aged 12 to 15 who meet the JCVI criteria for vaccination and will be in contact with families in due course. This cohort of individuals will receive two doses of vaccine, as per the JCVI guidance.
The JCVI will continue to review data and provide updates on risk groups aged 12-15 and whether any additional groups will be added.
As with the earlier phases of the vaccination programme, where we have already been vaccinating young people over the age of 16, the necessary information will be included with the invitation letter to ensure that informed consent can be obtained.
