Childhood immunisations
The best way to protect your baby against diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus and meningitis is through immunisations. Vaccines work by triggering the immune system to fight against certain diseases. If a vaccinated person comes in contact with these diseases, their immune system will be able to respond more effectively and prevent the disease from developing or reducing its severity. Routine childhood immunisations do not start until a baby is two months old.
Please click here for the routine childhood immunisation schedule.
Covid 19 Vaccinations for children aged under 5 with a weakened immune system
The NHS is offering COVID-19 vaccinations this Spring for children aged six months to four years who are in clinical risk groups
Invitations will be sent to parents and carers of children whose NHS record suggests they may have a weakened immune system due to an underlying health condition or medical treatment. These letters will include details of how to book an appointment at one of vaccination sites across south east London.
If your child is in at a risk group, and / or has a recognised weakened immune system and you have not received an invitation letter, please contact your GP.
If you or your child is not registered with a GP, they are still entitled to a free NHS COVID-19 vaccination. Please contact a GP surgery now - anyone in England can register with a GP surgery. It’s free to register. You do not need any proof of address or immigration status, ID or an NHS number.
Click here to find a GP local to you.
Although young children are generally at low risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, infants and young children who have underlying medical conditions are more than seven times more likely to require hospital admission to a paediatric intensive care unit.
This vaccination will lower risk of hospital admission for children with weakened immune systems and help them to recover more quickly if they catch COVID-19 during the spring or summer.
The Spring COVID-19 vaccination is not being offered to children in this age group who are not in a clinical risk group.
You can read more details on the government website here.
Making an appointment for eligible children
If your child is eligible for this vaccination, you can make an appointments for Friday 12 June onwards at one of the vaccination sites in south east London.
Book online
Book by phone if you can’t get online on 020 7188 4040
- You can also phone 119 free of charge to book an appointment or find a walk-in site. Someone else can phone for you. If you need an interpreter, please let us know when you call.
- You can use text phone 18001 119 or the NHS British Sign Language interpreter service at signvideo.co.uk/nhs119
The COVID-19 vaccination for children
Children will be given two 3-microgram doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty®) with an interval of at least 8 weeks between the first and second doses.
More than one million children aged 6 months to 4 years in the United States have received at least one dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines since June 2022. Data shows the most common side effects reported were similar to those seen with other vaccines given to this age group, such as irritability or crying, sleepiness, and fever.
For more information
Further information on the vaccine is available at www.nhs.uk/covidvaccination
If you would like to read more about why children aged 6 months to 4 years who are in clinical risk groups are being offered a COVID-19 vaccination, please visit the UK government website to see the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-of-children-aged-6-months-to-4-years-jcvi-advice-9-december-2022/covid-19-vaccination-of-children-aged-6-months-to-4-years-jcvi-advice-9-december-2022