A message to teachers and early years practitioners

Please be assured that the essential service you are all providing during this ongoing pandemic is vital and appreciated. However, at this time you are not yet eligible for the covid-19 vaccination.

As you will be aware the vaccine supply remains constrained and we must do all we can to protect the most vulnerable. Vulnerability to serious illness and death is extremely strongly linked to advancing age. The national Covid-19 Vaccination Booking System has opened up to frontline health and adult social care staff. These staff are eligible to help protect the older person receiving care from transmission from their worker. 

Those who provide direct care to the highest risk groups are being prioritised. Current evidence strongly indicates that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age and that the risk increases exponentially with age. National evidence indicates that the optimal strategy for minimising future deaths is to offer vaccination to older age groups first.

We are not yet able to offer vaccination to critical workforces who do not work directly with older adults or children who are extremely clinically vulnerable. 

At this time those who work with children and young people - including teachers and early years practitioners - are not eligible for the vaccination unless they provide direct care to children who are clinically extremely vulnerable. We ask that those who are not eligible be patient and wait until they are invited.

Anyone who books one of these appointments will need to show a valid work ID when arriving for their appointment and if they are unable to do so they will be turned away.  Please do not book an appointment if you are not eligible to do so as it will waste the appointment and waste an opportunity for an older or vulnerable person or someone else who is eligible to receive the vaccine.