Received letter inviting my 5 to 11 year old to get vaccinated. Anyone else?

[yorkshirepudgf]

I’ve just received a letter through the post inviting my 9 year old DS to get vaccinated as he’s been identified as being in a high risk group.

He does have asthma (well controlled) and coeliac disease but I’m surprised to have received the letter. I’ve found a table on NHS and there is no mention of coeliac being a factor. Asthma is listed but for severe / poorly controlled who’ve recently steroid treatment. He does have a purple inhaler that he has to take every day.

Just wondered if anyone else has received the letter in similar situation?

It's 11 weeks from infection for most children but reduced to 4 for CEV I think.

I don't understand why and how the vaxx centre could refuse to vaccinate a child who'd received an invite? The whole point of which was to protect other household members, regardless of their individual vulnerability? That balance of risk decision had already been made.

DS has been invited. He had cancer as a child (now 18 months post treatment) and is autistic - am not sure which would have triggered it. However, despite having been vaccinated myself, I'm really uncertain about doing him. He's had it, and didn't have a single symptom.

We've had a letter for DD1 who is autistic. DH does not want her to be vaccinated. I was surprised she was considered eligible.

No invite yet, she was on the shielding list but won't be identified by coding of common conditions on the GP system, as she has an extremely rare lung condition. I don't want to hound the GP but equally we have been waiting for this day for nearly 2 years.

No letter yet despite having an autoimmune condition and being eligible. Unfortunately he had covid two weeks ago so we'll be waiting anyway.

My son is also 9 and has celiac disease and we got the letter today. I completely understand everyone’s thoughts on the vaccine but personally, we don’t feel that controlled celiac disease makes him vulnerable so we have decided to wait a while and think about it again.

Coeliac disease is on the list as it's an autoimmune condition and around 20% of coeliacs have problems with their spleen (not tested for so you wouldn't necessarily be aware).
In terms of eligibility, I had an adult present for a fourth vaccine dose with a letter from her GP saying she was immunosuppressed but with no other details. She was unable to tell me why she was immunosuppressed - nothing in her medical history, medication or social circumstances pointed to immunosuppression - so she was advised to find out why she was eligible before going ahead.
In a programme on this scale, mistakes happen. If someone is immunosuppressed they have far more to worry about than COVID and need to know the details, not just be given another vaccine dose unquestioningly!

@choirmumoftwo
I agree.
I feel like my child is “at risk” because “computer said so”. My DS has only had one appointment with a consultant to be said his condition will never affect his life and we don’t need any ongoing review or adjustments. I struggle to believe my child needs this jab, he has absolutely no ongoing health concerns and I don’t remember him catching as much as a simple cold in the last year. I will consider the jab if they let me have an appointment with a specialist doctor to discuss my child’s individual health situation but I know it’s not going to happen as he’s been discharged from there. I keep on checking NHS guidelines, green book 14a etc for 5-11 eligibility and it’s clear my child doesn’t fit their eligibility criteria, so I don’t understand why he’s been invited…

If it is the general NHS letter then it states they have been identified as potentially needing it and their gp or specialist will be in touch.

Even so it is an invite not a summons.

Dd will be having it when the actual invite comes about

We had one too. I can’t work out whether he meets the criteria because he as Aspergers (but does not have severe medical issues with it), or because he had severe tonsillitis and quinsy and ended up with sepsis (tonsils since removed), or because he spent time in NICU as a baby (very briefly but was intubated). As he’s generally healthy and has recently had covid I think I will leave it.

We got one too because my son has epilepsy. He's just had covid though and barely had any symptoms, so I'm not sure what to do. I know we have to wait 12 weeks after having covid though so I've got a bit of time to think.

@MoonBat

Yes, but I went to get it done today and they wouldn't do it. They said the risks to a healthy child with no personal risk factors (I imagine he has been made eligible because I'm CEV and his ten year old sibling got vaxxed because of a medical vulnerability) is slightly more with the vax than of covid itself. However he's also autistic which I believe is a category for eligibility also?

I'm not sure how I feel. I was quite pleased when we got the letter saying he could have it, the more protected the better.

Who refused to do it? It’s not their decision being autistic does put him on the vulnerable list. Its decided by the JVCI Drs providing the vaccine don’t get to override the green book.

@Policyschmolicy

We had one too. I can’t work out whether he meets the criteria because he as Aspergers (but does not have severe medical issues with it), or because he had severe tonsillitis and quinsy and ended up with sepsis (tonsils since removed), or because he spent time in NICU as a baby (very briefly but was intubated). As he’s generally healthy and has recently had covid I think I will leave it.

It will be because he is autistic and that is on the list of vulnerable conditions.

We got one yesterday for my Ds son who is autistic. I was suprised but I’ve asked him and he said he wants it. Now reading above post about ppl being refused when they actually go for the appointment I’m wondering if it’s worth the hassle, the meltdown if we had geared up to go and we’re then refused would be massive. Maybe I’ll check with docs that he’s definately eligible

@Wfhquery

We got one yesterday for my Ds son who is autistic. I was suprised but I’ve asked him and he said he wants it. Now reading above post about ppl being refused when they actually go for the appointment I’m wondering if it’s worth the hassle, the meltdown if we had geared up to go and we’re then refused would be massive. Maybe I’ll check with docs that he’s definately eligible

You can print out the section from the relevant part of green book, all those with any form of Autism were added in September. Most will be arranged by GP as the 5-11 dose are a different vial that is ordered. It is the GP that flags those eligible so very unlikely to be turned away. They cannot be vaccinated at a normal vaccine hub as they won’t have the specific dose required.

@BooksAndHooks
That’s really weird because invitation for my DS took me to the same exact vaccination hub where I was vaccinated. Not a GP practice.
Would you mind sending a link to the relevant section where the conditions deemed at risk are listed for 5-11 group? I’m looking at green book 14a page 22. There’s a green table, but the conditions are not listed in detail. I even don’t see autism there, am I in the wrong place?

[quote okthx]@BooksAndHooks
That’s really weird because invitation for my DS took me to the same exact vaccination hub where I was vaccinated. Not a GP practice.
Would you mind sending a link to the relevant section where the conditions deemed at risk are listed for 5-11 group? I’m looking at green book 14a page 22. There’s a green table, but the conditions are not listed in detail. I even don’t see autism there, am I in the wrong place?[/quote]
It’s listed here under neuro disability.

Thank you @BooksAndHooks, my bad. I can see it now.

We've had the letter. DD is 6 and has a minor heart defect. I don't think she'll be having it. There's no evidence that children with her condition are at higher risk of a severe reaction to covid than any other child.

@Oysterbabe
Same situation here but my DS is 9. DS didn't need any follow up for his condition since they found out so I probably can’t even have a specialist consultation now. I can imagine they are busy catching up with children who truly need an appointment for their ongoing issues. The guidance doesn’t specify minor defects anyway, but only significant ones. I assume DS was invited by mistake or their algorithm is very wide.

My DS9 has had the letter because he is coeliac and lots of follow up texts since. He has tested positive for Covid 3 times now and the last bout a couple of weeks ago was the most symptomatic when he had nosebleeds, headaches and a cough so he doesn’t particularly seem to be building up immunity. Each time none of the rest of the household has tested positive, none of us ever have, so maybe his immune system doesn’t shift it as quickly somehow. Not sure!

Its because he is ceoliac - I am surprised you have not found info on this because ceoliac's were put in group 6 at the very beginning of the pandemic. Its because people with reduced spleen function can have immune issues and at greater risk of needing treatment. All ceoliacs have a risk of damage to their spleen - but without testing who has the NHS doesn't know so all coeliacs are treated the same and were put in a priority Covid group. We are also eligible for the free flu jab each year for the same reason. I can see the logic - they would need to test all ceoliac's each year to see who has lost spleen function and then need jabs - instead they just offer jabs to all ceoliacs.

Oh yes, I absolutely understand why he’s having it and he’s booked in once he’s cleared the 4 weeks since his last infection. I think what I was saying was that I’m not sure whether he keeps getting it and maybe worse each time is because he’s coeliac so maybe has a dodgy spleen or some other reason! Lots of coeliacs report not having symptoms etc but maybe he’s in the unlucky group with the dodgy spleen. So scary, he’s only 9