Advice on COVID-19 vaccines for children

The following information and advice comes from Nicola Bridges, a paediatric endocrinologist who runs the PWS clinic at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, representing the views of our PWS specialists:

“Our current information is that children with Prader-Willi syndrome are not at increased risk from Covid unless they have other medical conditions.

"We would strongly encourage families to have their children over 12 years old vaccinated as part of the national scheme.

"If vaccination starts for children under 12, we would also strongly encourage families to have their children vaccinated.

"For children under 12 years, vaccination should be considered if they have additional medical problems, including severe obesity, significant respiratory issues including obstructive sleep apnoea, any condition with reduced immunity, and type 2 diabetes. The guidance about vaccines may change and we attach the link to the NHS website here.

"Currently the decision whether to offer the vaccine is with the child’s GP, who can assess the information they have from the child's hospital teams.

"We would strongly encourage all adults with PWS to get vaccinated, whatever their medical background.”