Contact urges government to urgently give clinically vulnerable youngsters access to the vaccine

2 mins read

Thursday 10 June 2021

Tags: Covid-19, vaccine, health

Contact is urging the government’s committee on vaccinations to give the green light to disabled youngsters to get the vaccine and to do so quickly.

Una Summerson, Head of Policy at Contact, said: “In the US and parts of Europe, they are vaccinating youngsters recognising the advantage it gives to their peers with underlying conditions, as well as the wider community. Since last Friday’s news that the Pfizer vaccine is safe, many families of clinically vulnerable youngsters are asking what are we waiting for? At the very least the UK should give clinically vulnerable youngsters access to the vaccine and do it now.

“If the vaccine is to be rolled out to all 12-15 year olds, we must prioritise disabled children, some who have been shut off from school and friends for over a year. A poll we carried out on Facebook this week found that 12% of families are still shielding their children. We must act to help them.”

Frances Ryan has written in today’s Guardian about the situation.

Read the letter from the vaccine committee ( JCVI) in response to our campaign to prioritise clinically vulnerable children for the vaccine.