NHS reveals Covid vaccination timetable for high-risk children under 12

2 mins read

Tuesday 1 February 2022

Tags: covid, vaccination

Updated: 1 February 2022

Practitioners should by now have started to invite for their vaccine the half a million high-risk children and children who are households contacts of immunosuppressed people of any age. Invites should arrive over the next week.

There is no need to contact your GP to book your child’s appointment, but you should contact your GP if you think your child is eligible and you don’t receive an invite.

Parents will need to give their consent for their child to be vaccinated.

You can find further information on vaccine safety, dosing and eligibility criteria on pages 21 and 22 of the government’s Green Book. If you are unsure if your child is eligible, please speak to their GP or clinician.

What is the dosage?

Children aged five to 11 years in recognised risk groups should receive two paediatric doses (10 micrograms) of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine at an interval of at least eight weeks. 

The use of a fractional adult vaccine (in other words, a smaller dose of the adult’s vaccine, rather than the specific dose prepared for children) can be given off-label and has to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The JCVI guidance says: “Should fractionated adult doses be offered, healthcare providers should have the necessary skills to deliver such fractional doses, with appropriate guidance, training and systems in place to support vaccine delivery.”

Where will children get their vaccine?

Most children will get their vaccine at their local GP surgery, hospital or specialist children’s centre. Where this isn’t possible, local arrangements will be in place with community pharmacies, local vaccine hubs and in some cases at a child’s special school.

All UK nations have similar roll-out plans.

Parents cannot book appointments by calling 119 or using the national booking system.

New resources

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published two resources to support vaccination of 5-11 year olds:

Take a look at our FAQs for vaccinating high-risk children aged 5-11 for more information.