In this COVID-19 Bulletin:
- COVID-19 Vaccine for People Aged Under 40
- Demonstrating COVID-19 Vaccination Status When Travelling Abroad
- COVID-19 and Blood Clotting
- COVID-19 Green Book Update
- Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Vaccination
COVID-19 Vaccine for People Aged Under 40
The chance of a younger person becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 gets smaller as infection rates increasingly come under control in the UK. However, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised a preference for adults aged 30 to 39 without underlying health conditions are to receive an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine – where available and only if this does not cause substantial delays in being vaccinated. This follows the decision on 7 April to offer a preference for adults aged under 30.
Demonstrating COVID-19 Vaccination Status When Travelling Abroad
COVID-19 vaccination status is available to people who live in England and a full course is currently 2 doses of any approved vaccine. From 17 May, people may be able to show their COVID-19 vaccination status (in digital or paper format) as proof of their status when travelling abroad.
However, there aren’t many countries that currently accept proof of vaccination so, for the time being, most people will still need to follow other rules when travelling abroad, such as getting a negative pre-departure test.
The latest Government guidance says that people will be able to access their COVID-19 vaccination status through the free NHS App from 17 May, but the guidance also makes it clear that people must not contact their GP surgery about their COVID-19 vaccination status because GPs cannot provide letters showing COVID-19 vaccination status.
COVID-19 and Blood Clotting
For people who would like further information, Public Health England (PHE) has recently issued guidance on the COVID-19 vaccination and blood clotting.
COVID-19 Green Book Update
COVID-19: the green book, chapter 14a has also recently been updated to include additional information on the eligibility and safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Vaccination
All children who have missed out on their routine childhood vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic remain eligible for their vaccines. As physical distancing and lockdown measures continue to change throughout the course of the pandemic, it is possible that there may be further impact on primary immunisations.
It is therefore important for GPs and local teams to continue offering routine immunisations, check that any infants or children impacted during the pandemic are rescheduled for their immunisation and, where required, consider implementing catch-up or recovery plans.