Tag: JCVI

Vaccinations for young people with certain conditions

Children and young people aged 12-17 from key groups to be offered COVID-19 vaccine

Children and young people with certain conditions are to be offered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, in line with the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), before the majority of schools return on the 16th of August.

The vaccine will be offered to around 4,000 children and young people affected by severe neuro-disabilities, Down’s syndrome, underlying conditions resulting in immunosuppression, and those who have a diagnosis of Learning/Intellectual disability.

In addition, the JCVI recommended vaccinating young people aged 16 to 17 years of age who are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. While the vast majority of this group  were previously invited in an earlier part of the vaccination programme we will be inviting those that are now 16 who were not vaccinated as part of that earlier offer.

Also to be invited are children and young people aged 12-17 who are household contacts of adults or children who are immunosuppressed. This is to provide indirect protection for that member of their household. A household contact is defined as someone living in the same house, or anyone the  adult or child comes in to contact with face-to-face on most days of the week – such as a carer.

NHS Scotland is aiming to vaccinate these children and young people during August alongside those younger household contacts of people with immunosuppression.

Those children and young people with specific conditions and their parents or carers will be contacted directly by their local Health Boards via letter, phone call or by their regular healthcare professional. The household contacts of the wider group of people with immunosuppression will be contacted by a letter from the National Vaccination Programme.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “In line with the latest JCVI advice we will now be offering COVID-19 vaccinations to children and young people aged between 12 and 17 from key groups.

“The programme has always offered vaccine to groups where the benefits far outweigh the risks. The research and evidence shows that is the case for young people in these groups and they should now be called forward for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“These children and young people will be able to get the vaccine in the most appropriate setting for their situation. This may be in their own home or a care setting, or at a clinic, depending on their care or health needs.

“I would urge any parent or carer who has a child or young person eligible for a vaccine to visit NHS Inform where they can find the most up-to-date information; and read the leaflet that they will receive with their letter or from their Health Board. Parents, carers or young people can also speak to their local health professional to discuss this further if they need to.”

Cole-Hamilton calls for early decision on vaccinating children

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton has lodged a parliamentary motion calling for the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation to accelerate the process by which it will come to a view on whether the Covid 19 vaccine rollout can be extended to children.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, lodged the motion after it was revealed that the number of Scottish children aged 0-9, hospitalised with Covid-19 has risen to 10. He is keen for the JCVI to come to a view as to whether or not it is safe to offer vaccines to young people given that it is already being rolled out to children as young as 12 in countries like Canada. This follows widespread reports various reports that the Delta strain of the virus could be more harmful to young people than previous variants.

Commenting, Mr Cole-Hamilton said: “I am in no way trying to influence the decision of the JCVI, nor am I asking them to cut corners, but I am concerned about the threat that the new Delta variant could pose to children.

“There is international data to support the benefits of some vaccines in children. If it’s is possible to safely vaccinate our children and young people I would like to see that done as quickly as possible.

“Canada is one of the first countries in the world to start vaccinating children, and they are confident enough to do so based on the existing data and the view of their own regulators. I’m not for a minute suggest that we follow their lead for the sake of it, but we do need to treat the potential threat of the Delta variant on young people for what it is- a matter of urgency.”

“The sooner we have a decision from the JCVI on use of the Covid-19 for children, the sooner we can put a plan in place for how best to protect them.”

UK Government report shows improving vaccine confidence among ethnic minority groups

Minister for Equalities Kemi Badenoch MP and COVID hero GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, have issued a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine when they are offered it.

  • As Government publishes third report on COVID-19 disparities, the Minister for Equalities and hero GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, issue a joint call for everyone to take the vaccine when they are offered it.
  • Evidence shows vaccine confidence has steadily increased among ethnic minorities.
  • This follows flexible vaccine delivery, and targeted communications from government and medical professionals, and partnerships with broadcasters.

The call comes as data shows vaccine confidence has steadily increased following government action, with 93% of adults reporting positive sentiment towards the vaccine. However, some groups are still less likely to get the jab. 30% of Black or Black British adults reported vaccine hesitancy, the highest compared with all ethnic groups.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has prioritised people based on age, with older people being offered the vaccination first. As the UK’s White population makes up a greater number of those in the older age categories, the percentage of those who have already received vaccinations is higher when compared with ethnic minority groups.

As the vaccine is rolled out to younger age groups the Government will continue its targeted action to ensure that ethnic minority people are willing to take the jab.

Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, said: “We are taking the vital action necessary to protect our families, communities and the country from the scourge of COVID-19. Our positive progress deploying the vaccine and promoting confidence in it has been a tireless, collective effort, from faith leaders, voluntary groups and the NHS all working together in every community to turn back the tide of COVID-19.

“We are not complacent and we will continue to tackle dangerous disinformation and work with trusted partners to promote confidence in the vaccine so everyone takes up their jab when they are offered it.

“Vaccines are the key to unlocking a return to normal life, and this Government will continue to do everything it can to ensure everyone is confident to take them.”

‘Hero’ GP, Dr Farzana Hussain, whose tireless efforts during the pandemic – including online campaigning and debunking of misinformation, and personally calling scores of patients who have yet to take the jab – have been key to fighting the virus, said: “It is really important that everyone takes the vaccine – unless all of us are protected, none of us are protected.

“The vaccines are very safe – they have been trialled on hundreds of thousands of volunteers by world-leading scientists, and now millions of doses have been given, just in the UK alone. I urge everyone to take the jab when they are offered it.”

Alongside this the Minister for Equalities will today publish the third quarterly report to the Prime Minister and Health and Social Care Secretary on progress to understand and tackle COVID-19 disparities experienced by individuals from ethnic minority groups.

The report sets out the swift and flexible action Government has taken to protect people, adapting the vaccine programme as it has rolled out to ensure everyone feels safe and able to get the vaccine, without being stigmatised.

Dr Masood Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer for the Black Country and West Birmingham CCG said: “We have strong, resilient communities and have been able to address vaccine hesitancy by connecting with people, listening to fears, and having meaningful conversations in order to reduce barriers, which is key for longer term sustainable solutions to address wider health inequalities.

“It’s so important that we share learnings to understand and address the health inequalities that COVID-19 has highlighted, and whilst we have had some success in reaching people and communities, there is still opportunity to do more.”

Dr Rohini Mathur, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This report highlights the positive impact of increasing vaccine confidence in minority ethnic groups across England and points towards the importance of understanding the complex interaction between socio-economic, geographic, and health related factors in explaining disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The report sets out the following next steps:

  • The Minister for Equalities to share the findings of her third quarterly report with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
  • Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to consider how to apply the findings of the review of experiences of frontline healthcare workers and the UK-REACH study.
  • NHS England’s published data on vaccination uptake by ethnicity should be further disaggregated to provide percentage uptake by vaccine priority group cohorts and sex. This should include levels of unknown ethnicity and an assessment of how this might affect the interpretation of vaccination uptake for different ethnic groups.
  • NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) should publish data about the use of the NHS COVID-19 app by different ethnic groups. This will inform activity to increase the uptake and continued use of the app.
  • DHSC and NHS should further investigate practical barriers to vaccine uptake by ethnicity to assess and address any intention-action gap.
  • DHSC should ensure that NHS organisations and GPs are provided with clear guidance and protocols about how ethnicity should be requested and recorded in health records.
  • RDU should engage with the Office for Statistics Regulation about priorities for improving the quality (including harmonisation, robustness and reliability) of ethnicity data on health records, drawing on others’ expertise as appropriate, and report back in the final quarterly report.
  • The Minister for Equalities and the Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment will continue a programme of engagement in the next 3 months, focusing on promoting vaccine uptake and encouraging asymptomatic testing, particularly for those within higher risk occupations, as sectors reopen.
  • As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues, the government’s Vaccine Confidence campaign will aim to inform, educate and empower those aged 18 to 50 to take up their vaccine. Using the tagline ‘Every Vaccination Gives Us Hope’ content will take an optimistic tone, aiming to reach and persuade younger audiences, including ethnic minority groups.
  • At each step of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, tailored guidance and communications will continue to be shared through community and media channels to maximise reach and impact.

Communications

  • To drive forward uptake of the vaccine, the government has prioritised communications with ethnic minority people across the UK, that includes:
  • A partnership with 12 community radio stations, which has delivered key messages about vaccines in 13 different languages to 1.5 million people.
  • Television partnerships with 21 multicultural TV networks, delivering 30 second adverts on 43 TV stations in 9 languages, reaching approximately 3 million people each week.
  • A Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport social media campaign to tackle false vaccine information, which has been shared with more than 4 million people through community and local networks, reaching people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
  • Ethnic minority medical professionals promoting facts and dispelling myths about the vaccines online, including a series of videos with Dr Amir Khan, a GP from Yorkshire, whose video on the vaccine being halal reached more than 330,000 people.
  • A programme of Ministerial engagement, including a roundtable with Black African and Black Caribbean Faith Leaders and GPs, recognising the important role that churches play in promoting vaccine uptake amongst their congregations.
  • Celebrities and influencers, including Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain, backing the NHS COVID-19 vaccine drive.
  • A short film backed by the NHS based on an open letter signed by Sir Lenny Henry and a range of high-profile celebrities encouraging Black adults in the UK to make informed decisions about the vaccine.

Vaccine choice for pregnant women welcomed by maternity Royal Colleges

The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced it will be offering pregnant women the COVID-19 vaccine, in line with the vaccine roll out plan for the UK. 

This comes after the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) presented evidence to the JCVI on the impact of COVID-19 for pregnant women, leading the JCVI to recommend offering vaccination to all pregnant women in line with priority groups. This enables every pregnant woman to make an individual decision based on benefits and risks. 

Up until this point, the COVID-19 vaccination has only been offered to pregnant women when their risk of exposure to the virus is high, such as health and social care workers, or if the woman has underlying conditions that place her at high risk of complications of COVID-19. 

Clinical trials testing the vaccine in pregnant women are just starting, but robust real-world data from the US – where around 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated mainly with mRNA vaccines, such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – have not raised any safety concerns.

Therefore, the JCVI is advising that it is preferable for the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines to be offered to pregnant women in the UK, where available.  

Professor Lucy Chappell, consultant obstetrician and COVID-19 vaccine lead for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “This announcement from the JCVI brings the UK into line with the US and other countries who have been offering the COVID-19 vaccine to pregnant women since December, and should provide reassurance to pregnant women, as well as those planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding, that vaccination is an option for them.  

“We are continuing to work with healthcare professionals so they are able to counsel pregnant women on the risks and benefits of having the COVID-19 vaccine based on their individual circumstances. 

“We are also advocating for more data collection of pregnant women receiving the vaccine in the UK, and welcome the work that is going on to ensure that there is recording of pregnancy status in the national vaccination programme to enable linkage to outcomes.” 

Dr Mary Ross-Davie, Director for Professional Midwifery and COVID-19 vaccine lead at the Royal College of Midwives, said:  

“This is a sensible step by the Committee and one we welcome. It empowers pregnant women to make their own decisions about whether or not to receive the vaccine. Ultimately it will be a woman’s choice and midwives and obstetricians will be there to support them to make an informed decision that is right for them.  

“It is now vital that the national vaccination programme, GPs and maternity services are supported to develop systems and procedures that support women who wish to have the vaccine to have it as easily as possible. 

“We need to ensure that those providing counselling and information to women about the vaccine in pregnancy have up to date accurate information and have enough time to talk through questions and concerns with women.” 

Dr Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “We are grateful to the JCVI for taking into consideration our evidence and updating the guidance around the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.  

“Vaccination offers pregnant women the best protection from COVID-19, which can be serious in some women. We know pregnant women can get unwell with COVID-19; one in five pregnant women who become unwell and are admitted to hospital will have a premature birth. 

“We believe it should be a woman’s choice whether to have the vaccine or not after considering the benefits and risks and would encourage pregnant women to discuss with a trusted source like their GP, obstetrician or midwife, or a healthcare professional in a vaccination centre. 

“This move will empower all the pregnant women in the UK to make the decision that is right for them, at the same time that the non-pregnant population in their age group receive protection from COVID-19.” 

UK health ministers’ statement on JCVI vaccination priority advice

A joint statement from the 4 UK health ministers on JCVI advice for phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme

The independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has today published its final advice for phase 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, setting out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age.

In line with its interim advice, the JCVI has recommended an age-based approach with adults aged 18 to 49 prioritised in descending age order as follows:

  • all those aged 40 to 49 years
  • all those aged 30 to 39 years
  • all those aged 18 to 29 years

In addition, data indicates that in individuals aged 18 to 49 years there is an increased risk of hospitalisation in males, those who are in certain black, Asian or ethnic minority (BAME) communities, those with a BMI of 30 or more (obese/morbidly obese), and those experiencing socio-economic deprivation. 

JCVI strongly advises that individuals in these groups promptly take up the offer of vaccination when they are offered, and that deployment teams should utilise the experience and understanding of local health systems and demographics, combined with clear communications and outreach activity to promote vaccination in these groups.

Individuals who are at increased risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 are likely to be vaccinated most rapidly by an operationally simple vaccine strategy. JCVI will continue close monitoring of the programme in terms of safety, effectiveness and uptake, and will update its advice as required.

All 4 UK nations have agreed to follow the JCVI’s recommended approach, with the understanding that age is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity and hospitalisations, and because speed of delivery is crucial as we provide more people with protection from COVID-19 across the UK.

The UK remains on course to meet the target to offer a vaccine to all those in the phase 1 priority groups by mid-April, and all adults by the end of July.

The UK-wide agreement to follow the prioritisation advice of the JCVI for phase 1 of the vaccine deployment has allowed a consistent rollout of vaccines across the UK, and seamless coordination between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Signed:

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care

Robin Swann, Minister of Health, Northern Ireland Executive

Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services, Welsh Government

Jeane Freeman, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Scottish Government

‘HELP IS ON IT’S WAY’

Green light for coronavirus vaccine rollout

Vaccinations to start next Tuesday in Scotland

The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use.

It’s understood that a public vaccination programme, using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, could be under way as early as NEXT WEEK.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said this morning: “2020 has been just awful but 2021 now looks so much better. I can now say with certainty that help is on it’s way. This will take time to roll out but I am confident now, that from Spring, from Easter onwards, things are going to be better and we wll have a summer that everybody can enjoy.

“We still face a difficult winter – but dawn is on the horizon.”

British regulator, the MHRA, says the jab, which offers up to 95% protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe for roll out next week.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said his morning: “The Government has today accepted the recommendation from the independent  Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use.

“This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

“The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) will shortly publish its final advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

“The vaccine will be made available across the UK from next week. The NHS has decades of experience in delivering large scale vaccination programmes and will begin putting their extensive preparations into action to provide care and support to all those eligible for vaccination.

“To aid the success of the vaccination programme it is vital everyone continues to play their part and abide by the necessary restrictions in their area so we can further suppress the virus and allow the NHS to do its work without being overwhelmed.

“Further details will be set out shortly.”

TUESDAY START FOR VACCINATIONS IN SCOTLAND

Deliveries of the first coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to Scotland are expected to be made next week with injections being given from Tuesday 8 December.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has confirmed that the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has been authorised for use in the UK.

The vaccine, which must be stored at well below freezing, will be transported to 23 locations around the country in temperature controlled lorries.

Everyone being vaccinated will need two vaccines, between 21 and 28 days apart.

Those giving the vaccination to others will receive the injection first. The programme will then follow the independent advice received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommends prioritising those with the greatest clinical need – including those aged over 80, and health and social care workers. The storage requirements mean logistics around delivery to care homes are more challenging and they are currently under consideration.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Today’s announcement confirming that a safe and effective vaccine can now be used is the best news than any of us have heard about the virus since the pandemic began.

“As long as we receive the first doses of vaccine when we expect to, we will begin vaccinating from Tuesday next week.

“It is of course worth remembering that everyone will require two vaccines, with the second vaccine between 21 and 28 days after the first,  so even for those who are among the first, there will be very few completed until early next year.

“We intend to vaccinate the vaccinators first, followed by the priority groups recommended by the JCVI, however we also need to take account of  the conditions attached to the authorisation to supply the vaccine which will present challenges around transporting the vaccine to care homes and individual homes.

“We are therefore in the process of working through how we can ensure people in priority groups in those settings can be vaccinated.

“For all the difficulties that lie ahead, it should give us all real hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight.”