Bolton's at-risk 5 to 11 year olds to be offered vaccine

28.01.2022 - 18:45 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

At-risk five to 11 year-olds in Bolton will be offered the Covid vaccine starting next week.

Parents whose children are eligible will be contacted by Bolton GPs and hospital specialists.

Th vaccinations will be by appointment only, and parents have been asked to not take their children to the borough's walk-in clinics.

READ MORE: Homeless man snuck onto plane at Manchester Airport to 'smoke a cig and drink beer' then jumped off before it left

Children at risk from serious complications of coronavirus include those who have/are:

Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletter

You can sign up very simply by following the instructions here

The vaccine is also recommended for children living with people who are immunosuppressed. This is to reduce the risk of them passing on the infection to family members.

The vaccine is a third of the dose of that given to older children and adults. A second dose will be offered after eight weeks.

Dr Helen Wall, senior responsible officer for the vaccination programme in Bolton, said: “Most children who get Covid have no symptoms and those that do have mild symptoms like a bad cold.

“However, the virus can make some children very poorly if they have other conditions. They could even end up seriously unwell in hospital.

“Having the vaccine means that they are less likely to become very ill if they do catch Covid, and potentially reduces the risk of transmission.

“Common side-effects are mild – children may have a sore arm, tiredness, a headache or flu-like symptoms – but these will only last a day or two and are nothing compared to the potentially serious consequences of catching Covid.

“If you have any concerns or questions about