Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 395 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what steps she is taking to implement the advice of the JCVI on the rollout of the autumn 2023 booster programme to people who are immunocompromised.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
As recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the autumn 2023 COVID-19 vaccination programme includes all those aged between six months and 64 years old in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book. This includes those with immunosuppression.
We continue to work with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to improve immunosuppressed uptake nationally, by understanding drivers of hesitancy, improving the quality of our published data, ensuring it is easy and convenient book and access vaccinations, and by continuing a variety of campaign activities throughout the winter including UKHSA’s ‘get winter strong’ campaign. This was launched on 1 November 2023 and encourages those eligible, specifically the clinically most vulnerable, who have not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to do so.
NHS England has produced and shared a range of targeted communications materials encouraging people who are immunosuppressed to take up their offer of a COVID-19 booster vaccine, including posters, display screen visuals and social media cards. There are also materials to raise awareness that those who are a household contact of an immunosuppressed person are also eligible for vaccination. These materials have been translated into 28 languages to reach people from a wide range of communities through their native languages and have helped general practices, vaccination centres, pharmacies, and other sites to promote COVID-19 and flu vaccination this autumn/winter.
The Government’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, also wrote to the main charities representing the clinically most vulnerable patient cohorts, to publicise this autumn’s campaign, and to enable them to signpost the offer to their patient communities.
The autumn campaign remains open and all those who are eligible but who have not yet come forward are encouraged to take up their vaccination.
Mentions:
1: Maria Caulfield (Con - Lewes) I beg to move,That the Committee has considered the draft Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Coronavirus - Speech Link
2: Christian Wakeford (Lab - Bury South) The positive impact of the vaccination programme cannot be overstated. - Speech Link
3: Maria Caulfield (Con - Lewes) They are important in ensuring that we can deliver an efficient vaccination roll-out, particularly with - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Lord Evans of Rainow (Con - Life peer) We are guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in our approach. - Speech Link
2: Lord Allan of Hallam (LD - Life peer) programmes larger than X are delivered in a different way from smaller vaccination programmes? - Speech Link
Asked by: Clark, Katy (Scottish Labour - West Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the effects of long COVID are informing its (a) policy on mask mandates and (b) COVID-19 winter booster vaccination roll-out.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Our guidance to stay well and help others in winter can be found here Respiratory infections including Coronavirus (COVID-19): staying well and protecting others - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . We have no current plans to mandate the wearing of face coverings.
It is due to the success of vaccines in protecting people, driving down cases and the availability of treatments that the guidance on wearing masks was withdrawn.
The Scottish Government follows JCVI for clinical recommendations for vaccination and their current assessment of the evidence does not support the inclusion of long COVID as an eligible at risk health criteria. We intend to continue to be guided by the expert independent advice of the JCVI on this issue.
We continue to monitor studies on COVID-19 vaccination and their relationship to long COVID. There have been a selection of international studies that suggest that receiving COVID-19 vaccination, before infection, can reduce the risk of receiving a diagnosis of long COVID. It is therefore important that we continue to work to improve uptake of our COVID-19 vaccination programmes to potentially prevent more instances of long COVID, but also to continue to protect those at higher risk from severe illness, hospitalisation and death and to protect our NHS.
Feb. 23 2024
Source Page: Covid-19 vaccination exemptions: FOI releaseFound: Covid-19 vaccination exemptions: FOI release
Feb. 08 2024
Source Page: Evidence for transmissibility behind lockdown decision: FOI releaseFound: a focus on the hospitality, retail and leisure sector, 8 April 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Effect of vaccination
Published - Wednesday 10th January 2024
Department: Department of Health and Social CareThese Regulations amend the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (“the 2012 Regulations”), which govern the arrangements across the United Kingdom for the licensing, manufacture, wholesale dealing and sale or supply of medicines for human use. These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland only.
Found: The Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Coronavirus and Influenza) (England and Wales and Scotland
Laid - 10 Jan 2024 In Force 31 Mar 2024
These Regulations amend the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (“the 2012 Regulations”), which govern the arrangements across the United Kingdom for the licensing, manufacture, wholesale dealing and sale or supply of medicines for human use. These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland only.
Found: Human Medicines (Amendments Relating to Coronavirus and Influenza) (England and Wales and Scotland) Regulations
Asked by: Greer, Ross (Scottish Green Party - West Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the list of conditions that indicate whether an individual is deemed to be at higher risk from COVID-19 infection, as outlined in Tables 3 and 4 of Chapter 14a of the Green Book, to be non-exhaustive, and whether medical discretion lies with the relevant GP or other health professional in deciding whether an individual with an underlying health condition is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination or booster.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Scottish COVID-19 vaccination policy and delivery is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the information contained within the COVID-19 Green Book Chapter.
Individuals who have a condition that puts them at higher clinical risk from COVID-19 are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine this winter. Anyone unsure about their health condition or circumstance, should speak to their health professional, specialist or local vaccination services. Further information on the COVID-19 vaccine and health conditions can be found on NHS inform .
The COVID-19 Chapter 14a of the Green Book states that examples in tables 3 and 4 are not exhaustive, and, within these broad groups, the prescriber may need to apply clinical judgment to take into account the risk of COVID-19 exacerbating any underlying disease that a patient may have, as well as the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 itself. A more comprehensive list of potentially eligible diagnoses, and the appropriate clinical codes, is found in the link at the end of the chapter.
Clinicians can refer patients to their local immunisation teams, if they believe the individual to be at risk, but does not have one of the conditions listed in tables 3 or 4. Patients can also refer themselves. The local immunisation team will assess the patient and decide if vaccination is appropriate.
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Freedom of Information responses from the MHRA - week commencing 18 December 2023Found: Coronavirus Vaccine - summary of Yellow Card reporting Data included: 09/12/2020 to 24/01