Do autistic children/people get called for a Covid jab?

[cinapolada]

I've had a text today to say my son has been identified as being eligible for a Covid jab. The only condition he has is ASD, diagnosed this year, is this something that entitles people to Covid jabs?

I had the same for my two Asd children today and wondered if it was because of that. I've tried googling but can't find anything about it.

Yes it's odd isn't It, I tried googling and could only find pages from 2021, don't understand why autism would be an eligible condition.

Yes they do. DD is booked in this week.

Because people with ASD generally have worse health outcomes as they can't always communicate their issues or advocate for themselves or even doesn't seem to realise how ill they are. My DD for example must have been feeling awful with tonsillitis but didn't tell us her throat was hurting as she was mainly upset about the feel of the new tissues for blowing her nose.

In addition to what the poster above has said, kids with ASD may be in specialist education settings with other kids who have health conditions that do make them clinically vulnerable.

Yes, I think it's because often people with autism have other conditions alongside it.

DD didn't want the jab last year, and she probably won't have it this year either. She's already had COVID twice the first was horrendous in terms of increased temperature etc although never went to her chest and the second time she got sniffles.

Thanks for explaining all, DS is high functioning and in mainstream school, but we do normally opt for the flu jab. Will have a think.

That's interesting. I got a message to book a jab for my autistic son today but assumed it was due to his asthma.

Even before the pandemic, kids at DS2 's secondary special school were eligible for the flu spray along with primary school kids (not that he ever let anyone within a mile of him with it). As PP have said, kids with ASD and LD are so much more vulnerable because of their ability to communicate and also their ability to tolerate treatment if they fall badly ill.

Yes they do.

Yep, I do.

yes I had a text as well for DS

Yes they do. I work with the team who came up with the algorithm (and it catches my dd who has ASD - I quizzed the clinical lead about it a few years ago when I first got the invite).

the algorithm is an imperfect science so it casts the net wide and will include a number of individuals who aren’t clinically vulnerable but it would take more work and raise the risk of missing people if it was refined further.

I’m pro vaccine but I’m unsure about whether to get it for my dd this year as she doesn’t have underlying conditions and does not tolerate the side effects very well.

A lot depends how well your child would cooperate with medical treatment for Covid eg if they were admitted to hospital and needed oxygen masks etc. I always get a jab for my son as he would be a terrible patient and not cooperate and also wouldn’t be able to communicate his symptoms so better he doesn’t get ill in first place. He’s also around clinically vulnerable kids.

Interesting. I had a text about COVID jab for DS today (and last year as well). I had assumed it was a mistake.