Reassurance Wiltshire children eligible for Covid-19 vaccination will be offered it in 'coming weeks'
Aim is for all 12-15 year olds to receive vaccination by end of November
Coronavirus vaccinations for 12 to 15 year olds have been taking place since the end of September
Latest government stats show 9.6% of those eligible in Wiltshire have had the Covid-jab whilst in Hampshire that figure is 18.5%
In Wiltshire the jabs are being carried out by Virgin Care in school based clinics.
The CCG which covers our county along with Bath and North East Somerset say 45,000 children are eligible.
Home-schooled children, as well as those in private education, will also be included in the vaccine rollout.
Gill May, Director of Nursing and Quality at BANES CCG said:
“As we head into winter, we know that parents are keen for their children to have the vaccine, not only to ensure they are protected against coronavirus, but also to minimise the risk of any further disruption to education.
“Our colleagues at Virgin Care are visiting schools on a daily basis, and we have already seen a strong appetite for the vaccine from families in all parts of our region, which is fantastic.
“As is the case with any complex vaccination programme, there may be times when planned clinics have to be rearranged due to factors outside any organisation’s control, such as staff sickness and classroom isolations following a positive covid test result.
“In these cases, sessions will be rearranged as quickly as possible, with plans put in place to ensure that all children are able to receive their Covid-19 vaccination before the end of November.”
Children who are absent from school on the day of a planned vaccination session will have the opportunity to receive the vaccine from one of a number of community-based drop-in clinics that are currently being planned.
Details of these additional clinics will be sent to schools for onward sharing with parents.
Sixteen and 17-year-olds are also eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, with young people in this age group able to arrange their vaccination appointment directly, either online at www.nhs.uk or over the phone by calling 119.