Health chiefs across the Black Country and West Birmingham are urging parents to take their children for their routine childhood immunisations at their GP surgery when they are invited to.
Pregnant women should also take up the offer to have the pertussis (Whooping Cough) vaccine.
Dr Ian Sykes, GP and Clinical Chair for Sandwell and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “As long as patients attending for vaccination (including parents and carers) are well, are not displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or other infections and are not self-isolating because they are contacts of suspected COVID-19 cases, immunisation should proceed and is encouraged.”
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that routine childhood immunisations are started and completed on time. This will help protect your child from a range of serious and sometimes life-threatening infections. Whilst infections such as measles and meningitis are not as common as they used to be, this is only because of high levels of vaccination. It is very important that we continue to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases by making sure children get vaccinated. To prevent resurgence, infants still need protecting through vaccination.
- All routine childhood immunisations are offered to babies, infants and pre-school children, including first and second MMR dose
- All doses of targeted hepatitis B vaccines for at-risk infants will be offered
- It is important that pregnant women take up the pertussis vaccine, and that their babies start receiving protection against this, and other infections, from 8 weeks of age.
Lisa McNally, Director of Public Health at Sandwell Council, said: “While preventing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting those who are most vulnerable is a public health priority, it is very important to maintain good vaccine uptake and coverage of immunisations.
“In addition to protecting the individual, good vaccine uptake helps to prevent the spread of diseases and so protects even more people from needing support from health services.”
GP practices are safe to attend for these appointments and practices continue to implement the most up-to-date guidance on maintaining social distancing in waiting rooms, and decontamination of premises and equipment is being strictly followed. Practices may be adjusting appointment times to avoid waiting times in order to maintain social distancing and, in some areas, practices may also be working with neighbouring practices to deliver COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 activity on separate sites.
