Dear Parent / Guardian

The CYP Covid Vaccination team are carrying out a community clinic at TUNSTALL VACCINATION CENTRE, ST6 4JU on WEDNESDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 between 1730 hrs and 1945 hrs to administer Covid vaccinations. This includes 1st dose, 2nd dose and autumn boosters to those children between the ages of 5 and 11 if they are eligible.

If your child is aged between 12 and 17 we are able to administer 1st and 2nd doses – autumn boosters to those children that are eligible for a booster.

Your child is eligible if:

• They are aged between 5 years and 17 years (had to be 5 years old on or before 31st August 2022)

• Have not received a Covid vaccination before

• If had a 1st dose needs to be 12 weeks before 2nd dose (8 weeks if Clinically vulnerable)

• They live with someone who is immunosuppressed** (see table below)

• Had 2nd vaccine 12 weeks prior and now require an Autumn booster – only clinically vulnerable or living with someone immunosuppressed or someone age 16 or 17 years who are carers.

• Have not had Covid 19 infection within last 12 weeks (28 days if clinically vulnerable)

• Consent needs to be given by a parent or guardian with parental responsibility or delegated authority.

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY:

The person(s) with parental responsibility will usually, but not always, be the child’s birth parents.

People with parental responsibility for the child include: the child’s mother; the child’s father if married to the mother at the child’s conception, birth or later; a legally appointed guardian; the local authority if the child is on a care order; or a person named in a residence order in respect of the child. Fathers who have never been married to the child’s mother will only have parental responsibility if they acquired it through a court order or parental responsibility agreement.

After the 30th November 2003 unmarried fathers have automatic parental responsibility for their children if they are named on the birth certificate. For a child born before the 30th November 2003, they can be re-registered and the father named on the birth certificate, after which the father will have automatic parental responsibility.

DELEGATED AUTHORITY:

In particular circumstances, the person(s) who hold(s) parental responsibility may have given delegated authority to a foster carer to be able to give consent for immunisations. Where a foster carer does not hold delegated authority for immunisations please arrange for the local authority to complete and sign the enclosed form.

Table 4 *Clinical and other risk groups for children and young people aged 5-15 years

Chronic Respiratory disease Including those with poorly controlled asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission, cystic fibrosis, ciliary dyskinesias and bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Chronic heart conditions Haemodynamically significant congenital and acquired heart disease, or less severe heart disease with other co-morbidity. This includes:

• single ventricle patients or those palliated with a Fontan (Total Cavopulmonary Connection) circulation

• those with chronic cyanosis (oxygen saturations <85% persistently)

• patients with cardiomyopathy requiring medication

• patients with congenital heart disease on medication to improve heart

function

• patients with pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs)

requiring medication

Chronic conditions of

the kidney, liver or

digestive system Including those associated with congenital malformations of the organs,

metabolic disorders and neoplasms, and conditions such as severe gastrooesophageal reflux that may predispose to respiratory infection

Chronic Neurological disease This includes those with

• neuro-disability and/or neuromuscular disease that may occur as a result of

conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy and muscular dystrophy

• hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles, other conditions associated with hypoventilation

• severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), Down’s

syndrome, including all those on the learning disability register

• neoplasm of the brain

Endocrine disorders Including diabetes mellitus, Addison’s and hypopituitary syndrome

Immunosuppression** Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including:

• those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, solid organ transplant

recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients

• genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. deficiencies of IRAK-4 or NEMO, complement disorder, SCID)

• those with haematological malignancy, including leukaemia and lymphoma

• those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy

• those treated with or likely to be treated with high or moderate dose

corticosteroids

• those receiving any dose of non-biological oral immune modulating drugs e.g. methotrexate, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine or mycophenolate

• those with auto-immune diseases who may require long term

immunosuppressive treatments

Children who are about to receive planned immunosuppressive therapy should be considered for vaccination prior to commencing therapy

Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen Including hereditary spherocytosis, homozygous sickle cell disease and thalassemia major

Serious genetic abnormalities that affect a number of systems Including mitochondrial disease and chromosomal abnormalities

Pregnancy All stages (first, second and third trimesters)

Other risk groups

**Household contacts of people with immunosuppression Individuals who expect to share living accommodation on most days (and therefore for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable) with individuals who are immunosuppressed (defined as immunosuppressed in table’s 3 or 4).

Table 3 – Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression, patients undergoing radical radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients, HIV infection at all stages, multiple myeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complement disorder, SCID).

Individuals who are receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy including, but not limited to, anti-TNF, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, rituximab, patients receiving protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, and individuals treated with steroid sparing agents such as cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil.

Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day for adults.

Anyone with a history of haematological malignancy, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

Those who require long term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions including, but not limited to, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma and psoriasis.

Some immunosuppressed patients may have a suboptimal immunological response to the vaccine (see Immunosuppression and HIV).

If you have any queries please contact the team on 12-15covidimms@mpft.nhs.uk

Kind Regards,

Kylie Ekin – Admin Support

CYP Covid Vaccination Programme