Under 18
Last Updated 14 September 2021
COVID-19 vaccination is now recommended for all 12 to 17 year olds. It is not yet recommended for under 12s in the UK.
Updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on 19 July 2021, on 4 August 2021 and on 3 September now recommends vaccination for certain individuals aged 12-15 years old.
- Guidance from the JCVI on 19 July 2021
- Written Statement: COVID-19 Vaccination – JCVI announcement on vaccinating Children & Young People (4 August 2021) | GOV.WALES
- JCVI statement on COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 years: 3 September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Joint statement by the UK Chief Medical Officers on 13 September: Young people aged 12 to 15 to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
All people aged 16-17 years old - one dose
The JCVI recommended on 4 August 2021 that 16-17 year olds should be offered a first dose of the vaccine.
Their recommendations have been adopted by Welsh Government, who are working with the NHS to put vaccination arrangements in place: Written Statement: COVID-19 Vaccination – JCVI announcement on vaccinating Children & Young People (4 August 2021) | GOV.WALES
If you are aged 16-17 and have not received your letter of invitation please attend our drop-in sessions or complete our Priority Access Form.
Please note that invitations will be issued by the health board, so please do not contact your GP practice.
People aged 16-17 years old with certain underlying health conditions - two doses
People aged 16-17 with certain underlying health conditions should already have been invited for vaccination, as guidance was already in place prior to 19 July 2021. Individuals in this category are being offered two doses of the vaccine.
Please visit our underlying health conditions page if you are 16-17 years old and have not received your invitation.
People aged 12-15 years old with certain conditions that make them clinically extremely vulnerable - two doses
Based on guidance published on 19 July 2021 (Guidance from the JCVI on 19 July 2021), people aged 12-15 with certain health conditions that make them clinically extremely vulnerable will be invited for COVID Vaccination. This includes people with serious neurodisabilities, Downs Syndrome, immunocompromised, profound/complex learning disabilities). Clinical teams across England and Wales are identifying eligible individuals in these categories and you will be contacted directly.
Update: Further guidance published on 3 September extends the definition of health conditions for 12-15 year olds who will be invited for COVID Vaccination. Work is under way to identify individuals in this category and invite them for vaccination:
People aged 12-17 years old who are household contacts of people who are immunocompromised - two doses
Based on new guidance published on 19 July 2021, people aged 12-17 who are household contacts of people who are immunocompromised will be invited for two doses of COVID vaccination.
Please complete the self-referral form at COVID-19 vaccinations for household contacts of immunosuppressed people | GOV.WALES
Other people aged 12-15 years old - one dose
On 13 September 2021 the four UK Chief Medical Officers recommended to the UK Health Ministers that a single dose of COVID vaccine be offered to all individuals aged 12-15 (NB individuals identified above will continue to be offered two doses): Young people aged 12 to 15 to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Welsh Health Minister endorsed this guidance on 14 September.
We are currently working with Welsh Government on plans to offer a single dose to all children aged 12-15, and we expect to begin to offer appointments in Mass Vaccination Centres from early October.
Consent to Vaccination for Under 18s
At 16 years of age a young person is presumed in law to have the capacity to consent, so young people aged 16 or 17 years should consent to their own medical treatment. Where someone aged 16 or 17 years consents to vaccination, a parent cannot override that consent.
Those aged under 16 can also give consent to vaccination without their parents consent if they are able to demonstrate ‘sufficient understanding and intelligence to understand fully what is proposed’. This is called Gillick Competence and is based on a legal case brought a number of years ago. If a Gillick-competent child consents to treatment, a parent cannot override that consent.
This applies to all medical treatment and not just to vaccination.
We will continue to reflect any changes in national guidance in the delivery of our vaccination programme here in Powys.
More information about COVID-19 vaccination programme in Powys is available from our website.