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Eligibility for the vaccine

Wales is following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice on eligibility which is based on evidence on who is most at risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.  

Adults 

All adults aged 16 and over have now been offered the vaccine in Wales, including some 12-15 year olds with a severe condition that puts them at increased risk from COVID-19.  

Anyone who has not yet received their vaccination should contact their health board for an appointment. They will also be able to give you information about walk-in centres if available in your area. 

Please click the appropriate health board link here.
 

Children and young people 

All children and young people aged 12-17 are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccination. These include:  

Children and young people aged 12-15 years should be offered their first dose of Pfizer vaccine. It is anticipated a second dose will be offered later to increase the level of protection and contribute towards longer term protection.   

Young people aged 16 & 17 olds should be offered their first dose of Pfizer vaccine.  It is anticipated a second dose will be offered later to increase the level of protection and contribute towards longer term protection.   

Children and young people aged 12-17with certain health conditions are at increased risk of complications from COVID-19 and are recommended 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. These include: 

  • cancers (such as leukaemia or lymphoma) 
  • diabetes 
  • serious heart problems 
  • chest complaint or breathing difficulties, including poorly controlled asthma 
  • kidney, liver or a gut disease 
  • lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (steroid medication, chemotherapy or radiotherapy) 
  • an organ transplant 
  • a neurodisability or neuromuscular condition 
  • a severe or profound learning disability 
  • Down’s syndrome 
  • a problem with your spleen, eg sickle cell disease, or you have had your spleen removed 
  • epilepsy 
  • serious genetic problems 

(For more information go to the Green Book Clinical risk groups for children aged 12-15 years P18, table 4. The NHS is currently working to identify these children to offer them the vaccine)  

 The Letter from the UK Chief Medical Officers to the UK Health Ministers on COVID-19 vaccination of 12 to 15 year olds can be found at this link: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-vaccination-of-children-and-young-people-aged-12-to-15-years-against-covid-19 

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice can be found at these links 

JCVI statement on COVID-19 vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 17 years: 19 July 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

JCVI statement on COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 years: 3 September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

I am immunosuppressed – do I need a third dose?

People who were severely immunosuppressed (had a very weakened immune system because of a health condition or medical treatment) when they received the first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine may not have made a good immune response to the vaccine. 

The JCVI have recommended that these individuals aged 12 years and over will need a third primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This includes those who had or have:

  • blood cancers (such as leukaemia or lymphoma)
  • lowered immunity due to treatment (such as high dose steroid     medication, biological therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy)
  • lowered immunity due to inherited disorders of the immune system
  • an organ or bone marrow transplant
  • disease that affects the immune system (such as poorly controlled HIV)
  • other disease or treatments (as advised by a specialist)

This third dose is not a booster – it is an additional dose of vaccine which aims to increase levels of protection for these individuals. The specialist involved with an individual should advise on whether the patient needs a third primary dose and will also advise on when this dose should be given.

The JCVI advice about this can be found here:

Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice on third primary dose vaccination - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

Autumn booster programme 

The JCVI has recommended a COVID-19 booster programme starting in the autumn of 2021. Welsh Government have accepted that advice. People who were vaccinated in Phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme (priority groups 1-9) will be offered a booster dose of the vaccine. The priority groups for the autumn booster campaign are: 

• Those living in residential care homes for older adults 

• All adults aged 50+ 

• Frontline health and social care workers 

• People aged 16-49 with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, and adult carers 

• Adult (aged 16+) household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals 

Read the Welsh Government’s announcement in full here. Further information will follow in due course.