Covid vaccines approved for young children with health conditions

Children aged between six months and four-years-old with underlying health conditions will be offered the Pfizer Covid vaccine in Wales.

Wales’ Health Minister, Eluned Morgan, has confirmed children in a clinical risk group will be offered two doses at least eight weeks apart.

It comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published its latest advice recommending vaccines for children in this category.

Mrs Morgan said: “NHS Wales has been considering arrangements for vaccinating this group of children and further information will be made available to parents of eligible children to invite them to come forward for vaccination.

“Alongside my UK counterparts, I have accepted this advice and I am extremely grateful to the NHS and everyone involved in the vaccination programme for their continued hard work.”

In a statement sent out to Senedd Members, Mrs Morgan said: “While there is a high level of strong population immunity developed over the past two-and-a-half years, the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 continues to be disproportionately higher in people in older age groups, residents in care homes for older adults and people with certain underlying health conditions.

“There also remains ongoing uncertainty about whether or how the virus will evolve and change, how long immunity will last, and the epidemiology of infection.”

She continued: “Throughout the pandemic, studies have shown that children are much less likely to develop severe Covid-19 disease than older adults. For the vast majority of children, SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with no, or mild, symptoms.

“However, for a smaller proportion of children with pre-existing health conditions, the risk of severe illness is greater.

“The odds of admission to paediatric intensive care units with severe Covid-19 is more than seven times greater for infants and young children with underlying medical conditions compared to children without underlying medical conditions.”