12-15 year old household contacts of people who are severely immunosuppressed are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination
We are writing to let you know that household contacts aged 12-15 of those who are severely immunosuppressed are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. You fall into that category of adults given your current health condition, and we therefore want to ensure any household contacts aged 12-15 are offered a COVID-19 vaccination.
This is because the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recently advised that household contacts of young people aged 16 years and over and adults with severe immunosuppression should be offered COVID-19 vaccination. This aims to reduce the risk of infection to you by vaccinating those most likely to transmit to you, as even though you may have received your COVID-19 vaccination, you may have lower protection from the vaccine given that you are immunosuppressed.
The revised JCVI advice applies to household contacts who are 12 to 15 years old with whom you “expect to share living accommodation on most days…. and therefore, for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable.” Household contacts aged 16 years and over are already eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination.
Please let any household contacts in that age group know they can now book a vaccination appointment via their registered GP practice, who will then invite them to attend their GP-led Local Vaccination Service.
Your household contacts will need to use this letter, together with proof of address of the immunosuppressed contact which should match the address held by the practice. This should happen on arrival for their vaccination appointment. They may also be asked for their date of birth.
Members of ‘bubbles’ that do not live with an immunosuppressed person for the majority of the week (frequent visitors and other non-carers who might visit the house often but not for the majority of the week, including overnight stays) are not included in the definition of ‘household contacts’ for the purpose of this vaccination programme, and should follow current advice on vaccination access, insofar as it relates to them.
For more information about the coronavirus vaccine, read the leaflet that came with this letter, or visit www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination