New vaccination guidance for children who have previously had Covid-19

Children aged between 12 and 17-years-old must now wait 12 weeks after testing positive for Covid-19 before having the coronavirus vaccine.

The new rules mean some children with upcoming vaccination appointments at Bath Racecourse, Salisbury City Hall or the Steam Museum in Swindon will need to cancel their booking.

This can be done via the National Booking Service, which is available online at www.nhs.uk or over the phone by calling 119.

Children who have recently tested positive for Covid-19, and were intending to receive the vaccine at their place of education, will either be visited at a later date by Virgin Care’s immunisation services team, who are carrying out the schools-based vaccination programme, or invited to attend a special clinic for those who were unable to be vaccinated at school.

Parents of children who have recently tested positive for Covid-19, and were intending to receive the vaccine at their place of education, will need to contact Virgin Care directly at vcl.immunisations@nhs.net to withdraw their child’s consent.

When contacting Virgin Care, parents are asked to provide the reference number given when the original digital consent form was completed, and to use the words withdrawn consent in the email subject box.

According to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, asking children who have tested positive for Covid-19 to wait 12 weeks before having the coronavirus vaccine may further reduce the already small risk of myocarditis.

Children who have previously been vaccinated within four weeks of having Covid-19 still develop the same level of immunity to coronavirus as those who are have the vaccine at 12 weeks.   

If younger people experience any of the following symptoms after receiving their vaccination, they should call 111 or see their GP:

• pain and/or tightness in the chest which may spread across the body
• pain in the neck that may spread across the shoulders and/or arms
• shortness of breath when lightly exercising or walking
• difficulty breathing when resting or feeling light-headed
• flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, tiredness and fatigue
• palpitations or an abnormal heart rhythm
• feeling the need to be sick