PRESS RELEASE : Health and Social Care Secretary statement on vaccination of at-risk children aged 6 months to 4 years [April 2023]

The press release issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 6 April 2023.

Children aged 6 months to 4 years in a clinical risk group will be eligible for a Covid vaccine.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:

Children are at very low risk of harm from Covid.

However, there are a very small number of children with health conditions which make them particularly vulnerable, and for those children we want to give parents the choice as to whether they wish to vaccinate their at risk child or not.

I have accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on vaccinating children aged from 6 months to 4 years who are in a clinical risk group. It is a parental decision, and this advice is simply to enable parents of children with medical conditions to choose if they wish to have the protection.