12yo was refused vaccine today

[Moolandrouge]

My 12yo DS has cerebral palsy so is in the at risk group. This means that rather than waiting 12 weeks after having covid to have his vaccine he can get it after 4 weeks.

Booked his vaccine appointment for 5 weeks after he got a positive covid test. Took him to his appointment today and they refused to vaccinate him. They said the guidelines on the NHS and government website are wrong and he has to wait 12 weeks unless he is immunosuppressed.

Surely this is wrong? They said he would need a letter from a GP to get a vaccine before 12 weeks is up. I'm sure the GP will love that!

I can't book him a walk in as none of the ones locally are for under 16s and I can't rebook him a vaccine somewhere else online as the system is registering him as having already had his vaccine.

I will call 119 and/or his GP on Monday but surely this is completely wrong? Why are they making it so hard to get a vulnerable child vaccinated?!

I thought the 12 weeks had been reduced for all, my dh had his booster over Christmas after having covid in nov

I think it's still 12 weeks for most 12 to 15 year olds.

12 weeks for for 12 -15 year olds

“Delay could help to reduce ‘very small’ risk of heart inflammation after jab”, experts say

Except those at high risk only need to wait 4 weeks. CP comes under high risk.

Is this for 2nd dose or booster?

For 2nd doses it was 4 weeks for at risk children, I assume it's the same for their booster, but I would have to check.
(Vaccinator)

You'll have to try again. I'm afraid the rules have changed so much it is very hard to keep up, I had a query the other day that 2 of us and a GP couldn't answer and had to get the clinical lead to check. It was quite a simple rule, but had changed so many times we weren't sure.

1st dose.

DD1 (16) was called forward for her first dose at 15 because she has a brain condition. She was turned away 9½ weeks after COVID for her second dose because the guidance is 12 weeks after COVID unless they are immunosuppressed. The clinician actually has to override the system to allow the vaccination before 12 weeks. As soon as they ticked 'yes' to the question about previous infection in the last 12 weeks, a big red box came up. They definitely wanted to vaccinate DD1 and she already had her arm out of her sleeve, but the lead clinician said they are responsible if they give the vaccination outside of guidelines, so they just couldn't.

The standard gap is 12 weeks, reduced for those with a clinical need.
12 weeks is also preferred for children who have Covid as they are thought to make better antibodies than adults and are at greater risk of myocarditis with a smaller gap.

vaccination should ideally be deferred
Chapter 14a - COVID-19 - SARS-CoV-2 11 January 2022
Current advice in PIMS-TS cases also suggests that an interval of 12 weeks should be observed, although earlier administration can be considered in those at risk of infection and/or who are fully recovered

Page 34 Green book

My 12-15 letter from NHS says 12 weeks for non high risk children and 8 weeks for high risk (from covid) children

I was told 8 weeks for my CV child.

When I asked the GP for a letter they said never heard of that and wouldn't do it.
When I tried to book on line they gave me only 12 week appointments.
When I contacted 119 they said I had to go through the GP.
When I contacted the local CCG vaccine group they said nothing to do with them.

So I've given up and taken the 12 week appointment. I will be seriously unimpressed if he gets it before then. If he'd been able to have it at 8 weeks he could have had it before he went back to school this term which would have been far better.

Very badly organised. Apparently the NHS letter saying he was CV, plus the NHS letter saying he needed his jab at 8 weeks wasn't enough. What was the point of them then?

It's 12 weeks standard and 8 weeks if at higher risk OP but you will need something from GP to prove the risk (although I guess it may be obvious). I've recently worked in a vaccine clinic

But the NHS website says 4 weeks:

"If you've had a positive COVID-19 test

If you've had a positive COVID-19 test, you need to wait before getting any dose of the vaccine. You need to:

wait 4 weeks (28 days) if you're aged 18 years old or overwait 12 weeks (84 days) if you're aged 12 to 17 years oldwait 4 weeks (28 days) if you're aged 12 to 17 years old and athigh-risk from COVID-19

This starts from the date you had symptoms, or the date of the positive test if you did not have any symptoms."

I wouldn't class him as a high risk for Covid if he has just had it though
I would not have vaccinated him today either.
The increased risk of myocarditis anyway after having Covid then the vaccine on top, nope.

I would be inclined to wait it out. Your child has already had covid and has now got antibodies .

It's frustrating that I can't trust the NHS and government guidelines then. He is officially classed as high risk and the guidelines say wait 4 weeks. How can I make the right decision for him?

He's actually had covid twice now, 7 weeks apart, so I'm concerned that perhaps he isn't making antibodies.

Frustrating but surely not surprising? They don't care one bit about vulnerable people.

Does your son have a specialist consultant? If so, I'd be speaking to them to make a final decision (and put it in writing), weighing up the risks and benefits specifically to your son.

He does have a consultant but it takes me about 6 months to get to speak to them about anything if I need to. It's very hard to get an appointment.

I don't think it's fair to say that the NHS don't care. I really wouldn't want a 12 year old with CP to develop myocarditis.

OP, if you feel strongly, I would suggest discussing with your GP. There may be a GP led service in your area that could do it, whereas mass vaccination centres have to follow tighter guidelines.