The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has today (2 December) advised on the groups that should be prioritised for vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19).
The JCVI's advice has been provided in order to enable the Government to develop a policy on COVID-19 vaccination in the UK
The full report can be read
here, but the list of priority groups can be summarised as follows:
1. Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
2. All those 80 years of age and over. Frontline health and social care workers
3. All those 75 years of age and over
4. All those 70 years of age and over. Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. All those 65 years of age and over
6. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions* which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
7. All those 60 years of age and over
8. All those 55 years of age and over
9. All those 50 years of age and over
The advice on vaccination does not include pregnant women and those under the age of 16 years due to there currently being limited or no data on the safety of the vaccinations in these groups.
*Underlying health conditions which would put individuals at higher risk are defined as follows:
• Chronic respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and severe asthma
• Chronic heart disease (and vascular disease)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic liver disease
• Chronic neurological disease including epilepsy
• Down’s syndrome
• Severe and profound learning disability
• Diabetes
• Solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients
• People with specific cancers
• Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment
• Asplenia and splenic dysfunction
• Morbid obesity
• Severe mental illness
Please note that the above advice has been provided by the JCVI via the Government website, which PWSA UK is sharing to help ensure that it reaches as many members of our community as possible. PWSA UK is not able to offer advice on medical matters and, as such, any queries relating to coronavirus or any other medical issue should always be directed to your GP or another qualified medical professional.
We have provided links to useful information from official government and NHS sources on our dedicated
coronavirus page.
