Adults with a weaker immune system
Adults aged 16 or over who have a weaker immune system because of a health condition or medical treatment are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
Adults aged 65 to 74 who have a weaker immune system because of a health condition or medical treatment are also eligible for a one-off RSV vaccine.
Following advice from the Welsh Government and chapters 14a and 27a of The Green Book, this includes patients with the following conditions or undergoing the following treatments.
- Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression, patients undergoing radical radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients, HIV infection at all stages, multiple myeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complement disorder, SCID).
- Individuals who are receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy including, but not limited to, anti-TNF, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, rituximab, patients receiving protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, and individuals treated with steroid sparing agents such as cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil.
- Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day for adults.
- Anyone with a history of haematological malignancy, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.
- Those who require long term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions including, but not limited to, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma and psoriasis.
Children with a weaker immune system
Children aged six months to 15 years who have a weaker immune system because of a health condition or medical treatment are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. Children with other health conditions are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
Following advice from the Welsh Government and chapter 14a of The Green Book, this includes children in the categories below only.
Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including:
- those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients
- genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. deficiencies of IRAK-4 or NEMO, complement disorder, SCID)
- those with haematological malignancy, including leukaemia and lymphoma
- those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy
- those treated with or likely to be treated with high or moderate dose corticosteroids
- those receiving any dose of non-biological oral immune modulating drugs e.g. methotrexate, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine or mycophenolate
- those with auto-immune diseases who may require long term immunosuppressive treatments Children who are about to receive planned immunosuppressive therapy should be considered for vaccination prior to commencing therapy.
More information
Contact us
For enquiries, please call the Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840004 or email BCU.SROCovid19VaccinationProgramme@wales.nhs.uk.
The contact centre is open from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. It is closed at weekends and on bank holidays.
Further information about calling our COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre.