Im a carer for my daughter whos got down syndrome whos 8 im registered as a carer at my local gp surgery, im wondering will i be included in group 6 to get the covid vaccine.
Hi Marc & welcome
Are you saying your daughter is aged 8.
How old are you?
From the above web site.
6. Will my disabled child be invited to have a vaccination against Covid-19?
The Pfizer vaccine will only be offered to children at high risk of Covid-19 exposure who are likely to get very sick if they get catch it, for example older children with severe neuro-disabilities in residential care. Even then, doctors will discuss the risks and benefits with their parents. We expect the government to publish more guidance on vaccinating children as the programme gets underway and more types of vaccine become available.
Let your GP know now that you are a carer and ask if this could be registered on your medical record. All GP practices will have a carer registration form.
I am an unpaid carer for my disabled child who depends entirely on me being well. Will I get early access to the Covid-19 vaccine?
The government’s expert committee - Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI) - revised its recommendations on 30 December to include unpaid carers.
It recommends unpaid carers who get Carer’s Allowance, or who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill, should be prioritised alongside people with underlying health conditions. This means unpaid carers are now in priority group 6: (see Table 3 of the green Book)
Parents should ask for their GP to mark their record with a ‘carers flag’ otherwise they may not get an invitation when their turn arrives.
We have received assurances from government that work is taking place to identify all unpaid carers so that they can be vaccinated in line with JCVI advice. We expected further guidance on this in early February.
We have written to the government minister in charge of vaccines to call for the vaccine delivery plan to be republished to include unpaid carers. We will update this page when more information becomes available.