Eligibility for the Vaccine

We are now opening up our vaccine appointments to those who have an underlying medical condition that put them at increased risk of morbidity or mortality from COVID-19.

If you meet the criteria for this cohort due to an underlying medical condition you should receive a letter. Please note, not all individuals with a specific medical condition will be invited for vaccine, in some cases an individual’s vulnerability is due to the medication they are taking, not the condition itself. For other conditions only those who experience the most severe symptoms are at risk. Please see the following information for your medical condition to understand if you will receive a vaccine in this priority group.

Chronic respiratory disease:

Individuals with a severe lung condition, including those with:

• asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and emphysema
• bronchiectasis
• cystic fibrosis
• interstitial lung fibrosis
• pneumoconiosis
• bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)

Chronic heart disease and vascular disease:

• congenital heart disease
• hypertension with cardiac complications
• chronic heart failure

Individuals requiring regular medication and/or follow-up for ischaemic heart disease. This includes individuals with:

• atrial fibrillation
• peripheral vascular disease
• a history of venous thromboembolism

Chronic kidney disease:

• chronic kidney disease at stage 3, 4 or 5
• chronic kidney failure
• nephrotic syndrome
• kidney transplantation

Chronic liver disease:

• cirrhosis
• biliary atresia
• chronic hepatitis

Chronic neurological disease:

• stroke
• transient ischaemic attack (TIA)

Conditions in which respiratory function may be compromised due to neurological disease (e.g. polio syndrome sufferers). This includes individuals with:

• cerebral palsy
• severe or profound learning disabilities
• Down’s Syndrome
• multiple sclerosis
• epilepsy
• dementia
• Parkinson’s disease
• motor neurone disease and related or similar conditions; or hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles; or severe neurological disability

Diabetes mellitus:

• any diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)

Immunosuppression:

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
• 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

Individuals treated with steroid sparing agents such as:

• cyclophosphamide
• 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
•  myeloma

Those with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis who may require long term immunosuppressive treatments.

Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen:

This also includes conditions that may lead to splenic dysfunction, such as:

• homozygous sickle cell disease
• thalassemia major
• coeliac syndrome (with splenic involvement)

Morbid obesity:

Adults with a Body Mass Index ≥40 kg/m²

Severe mental illness:

Individuals with:

• schizophrenia
• bipolar disorder
• any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment

Adult carers:

Those who are eligible for a carer’s benefit, or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality and therefore clinically vulnerable.

Younger adults in long-stay nursing and residential care settings:

Many younger adults in residential care settings will be eligible for vaccination because they fall into one of the clinical risk groups above (for example learning disabilities). Given the likely high risk of exposure in these settings, where a high proportion of the population would be considered eligible, vaccination of the whole resident population is recommended.

A definitive guide to COVID-19 vaccine delivery can be found here.

Phase 2 of the programme for those 18 to 49 will continue to be delivered at the Community Vaccination Centre at Beau Sejour and the Committee for Health & Social Care has agreed that the rollout will be largely done in order of age.

If you are aged 18 years and over and do not meet the requirements of groups 1 to 9 AND ARE NOT registered with a primary care practice (doctors’ surgery) please do so. If you are not registered we will not know about you when we come to vaccinate this group.

We are currently planning how to vaccine this cohort. We do not yet know how and when this cohort will receive the vaccine. This depends on the outcome of vaccine trials currently underway and approval by the various regulators. However, early stage planning is taking place to ensure we are ready as soon as the vaccine is approved for children and young people.

If you or your children ARE NOT registered with a primary care practice (doctors’ surgery) please do so. If you are not registered we will not know about you when we come to vaccinate this group.